A Pirate's Life
by AnimeMaster24
Summary: What would life be like for our favorite Bleach characters if they were born in the One Piece World? Find out as Captain Kurosaki Ichigo and first mate Rukia set sail to find their destiny. One Piece crossover, occurs at the same time as Luffy's journey
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Pirate's Life!**

Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own the rights to Bleach or One Piece. This story is made solely for fun, not profit.

Introduction: This story is a crossover involving several characters from Bleach. Ever wonder what it would be like if they were born into a different world? Well here's the chance to find out! Born into the zany and unpredictable world of One Piece, the characters of Bleach live different lives, but their overall dispositions and personalities remain similar to their counterparts from the Bleach manga. There will be several references to Bleach, although they are in the One Piece world, so readers can expect to see more One Piece characters later on in the story! Now without further ado, let the fun begin!

NOTE: Several Bleach characters have their sizes changed to match the One Piece world. I initially put the story in the Bleach section because it stars the Bleach cast like an alternate universe fic, but I will probably move it to the crossover section or One Piece section soon if the story strays too far from them.

OUR TALE BEGINS…

Twenty years ago, the great pirate Gol D. Roger and his crew conquered the harsh trials of the Grand Line and obtained everything the world has to offer. The wealth, fame, and power he possessed at journey's end had earned him the title of Pirate King and the respect of many who sailed the seas, while many more considered him to be a monster beyond compare for his crimes against the world. There was no doubt that his life had left an impact on the world, but even in death, his memory continues to live on through the new era his actions had created.

During his execution in the East Blue, the very same place where his crew had first departed on their long journey, Roger stood upon the execution platform overlooking the masses. On that day he announced to the world that anyone who wanted his treasure for themselves could take it, all they had to do was find it first. With these dying words, countless men and woman from the farthest reaches of the world took to the seas in search of the Pirate King's fabled treasure. Even twenty years after Roger's death, the Great Age of Piracy continues to plague the world.

There were a variety of pirates that sail the oceans of the world, but do not mistake for a second that all of them are simply thieves and murderers. Naturally such unsavory types do exist on the high seas, and unfortunately enough it is a rather common archetype among the individuals who go into the profession, but of course this stereotype is not always accurate. Some pirates are more along the lines of treasure hunters, others driven by pure greed, adventurers seeking thrills, some want freedom, and others companionship.

Of course, some pirates might have mixed purposes for embarking on a journey, or a combination of reasons. Such is the case for a young man with bright orange hair living in the South Blue. In comparison to the fearsome Grand Line, this particular ocean wasn't known for producing fearsome pirates, but there are several exceptions in each of the four other oceans. Most notably the Pirate King himself who came from the most peaceful of the seas, but that is neither here nor there… This tale of adventure and excitement begins with three friends from a small town in the central quadrants of South Blue.

Present Day… Somewhere on the Ocean

A certain orange-haired man lay snoozing in the captain's cabin of his ship as the wooden vessel skated across the gentle waves. It was a small older model originally used for fishing in his former hometown, but this didn't bother him much in the least. The sails were small and they weren't moving at a particularly fast pace, but considering his friends had taken the parts from a junkyard and restored it to the best of their abilities, he never expected it to be anything special.

Kurosaki Ichigo was a normal-sized man standing roughly six feet tall. He usually wore a deep scowl, but those who knew him best had long realized that this was simply the way he held himself most of the time. In addition to his spiky orange hair and grim expression, the young pirate had a slightly toned physique showing a certain amount of muscle due to physical activity and intense training. He wore a sleeveless vest revealing his arms and chest, a pair of jeans, a sash, a blue bandana that covered the majority of his hair, and a small golden artifact hung from the silver chain around his neck.

The captain's quarters of the small boat were small, holding only a twin-sized bed and podium that was used for drawing and reading sea charts. The dying ember sitting atop a candle stub was the only source of light in the dingy cabin, but it hardly made a difference to him, as he was currently taking a nap in the chair, his head resting against the surface of the table like a large pillow.

Kurosaki Ichigo stirred slightly as the door opened, revealing a petite woman who barely stood taller than five feet with large violet eyes and short black hair, her body portraying a relatively straight figure. Her garb consisted of a pair of puffy red knickers and a loose-fitting white blouse, and she wore a sheathed katana at her hip with an ice blue hilt and rectangular guard. She also had a long purple vest over her shirt, a pair of golden earrings, and a pair of elegant black boots.

Due to her style of dress, the dark-headed pirate appeared both tomboyish and aristocratic at the same time, although her reaction to seeing her captain asleep soon proved at odds with her appearance. She couldn't help but smile at his resting form with a sense of nostalgia, having seen him doze off like that when they were kids. This expression quickly gave way to rage as she remembered why she had come to begin with, causing a large vein to pulse on her forehead.

Raising her leg into the air, she kicked over the chair he was sitting in, toppling her captain onto the floor. "Wake up, you idiot!"

The man landed face first onto the hard floor of his cabin, his swearing muffled by the wood for a second. Scrambling into a standing position, Ichigo turned on his guest with equal ferocity. "Was that really necessary? Can't a guy get take a moment to rest?"

Her eyes scanned the room, wildly, settling on the small ember beside his bottle of ink. "You moron! What kind of fool dozes off on a wooden vessel with an exposed flame still burning?"

Ichigo yawned with a sense of indifference. "Look… I'm sorry about that, but I doubt that a little flicker could ignite this entire ship." He gestured towards the stub that was almost completely gone. "I mean, seriously… Give me a break."

"Our crew didn't nail this bucket back together so we could risk burning it to smithereens a few weeks after we set sail."

"Will you stop it already?" the captain retorted with a grim expression. "I'm sorry about that, but there's no need to blow a gasket. I was tired and just happened to fall asleep while working the navigation. Is that a crime?"

"Have you forgotten that there's only three of us around to man the ship?" the small woman shot back angrily. "There's a lot of chores to be done and here you are sleeping in the cabin while the rest of us handle all of the work!"

The orange-haired man placed a hand on her head bent slightly as if looking down on his petite friend. "Don't forget who's captain of this leaky crate."

"Don't give me any of that crap!" She grit her teeth angrily and punched him in the jaw, sending her so-called superior reeling from the pain.

"Damn you Rukia!" he snapped his mouth back into position with a poisoned expression.

"There's more where that came from if you don't get your sorry ass in line." The small woman exhaled, her fury cooling to reveal a more serene expression while leaving no sign that she had been angry to begin with. "Look Ichigo." She began in a serious but civil tone. "Don't forget that the rest of us left the safety of our homes and followed you to the seas because we were your friends. Do not take that for granted."

The pair locked eyes for a moment and a mutual understanding seemed to pass between them. Although his expression remained impassible, the orange-haired man walked past his friend and threw the door open, silently basking in the sun for a second before proceeding onto the deck.

Kuchiki Rukia followed after him with a half-smile before tossing a mop and bucket at her captain, which he caught effortlessly. "All right, now get to work."

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled with a good-natured expression, silently returning her sentiment.

As the so-called captain swabbed the deck of their shoddy watercraft, a large dark-skinned man leapt down from the crow's nest, landing between his two crewmates with a loud thud. His crewmates looked up in surprise at his sudden entrance as they eyed the telescope in his hand. Needless to say that Yasutora Sado usually served as the trio's helmsman and occasionally acted as the lookout while they sailed at the mercy of the tides.

He was well over seven feet tall and extremely broad shouldered, his clothing consisting of a red and white striped t-shirt and a pair of jeans, his large toned muscles visible even through his clothing. The man's skin was dark and a wavy curtain of brown hair covered one side of his face.

Ichigo greeted him with a nonchalant wave, his gaze automatically shifting upwards at the much taller figure. "Oh, hey Chad… Have you seen any islands where we can stop for supplies yet?"

"Nope, but there were some ships heading to the west." The other man replied in a surprisingly reserved tone belying his monstrous appearance. "I figured we might be able too…"

The orange-haired captain tossed aside his bucket and placed a hand to his forehead as if trying to see where the targets were. "Looks like this might be a good opportunity for us to show the world what we're made of."

"You moron… What if it's just a merchant vessel? We may be pirates, but that doesn't mean we have to be mindless thugs." Rukia placed her left hand on her hip disapprovingly.

"I didn't say anything about hurting anyone, but we haven't had anything to eat in three days now. I say we just stick with stealing some supplies and getting the Hell out of here before the Marines show up!"

Chad placed the spyglass to his eye. "I can see the Jolly Roger… It looks like our prey is another pirate ship."

"Good, that means we can have a little fun, then!" Ichigo replied with a sense of anticipation. After a moment his expression became much serious and he assumed a much more authoritative stance, causing his crewmates to straighten up. "All right, then… Hoist the sails and prepare for battle! We've got a ship to catch!"

Chad gave his friend a quick salute and began preparing a cannon while Ichigo ran to the helm to adjust the angle of their ship towards the enemy vessel. Using his immense physical strength, the larger man loaded the cannon and changed the trajectory, using his telescope to get a better look at the enemy flag.

"Hey Sado, Do you recognize the Jolly Roger?" Rukia called at her friends from the main deck.

"It doesn't look like anybody we've ever seen before, and I don't recognize the symbol from any government wanted posters."

Their captain let out an indifferent sigh. "Must be a bunch of nobodies if we never heard of 'em before. Right now, all I really care about is whether or not they've got some food and money for us to swipe once we sink their boat."

Rukia scampered up the central pole. She displayed surprising strength and agility for a girl of her small stature, easily scaling the wooden structure in a matter of seconds without even using a rope or ladder for support. The petite fighter kicked against the wooden structure and grabbed onto the next part of the mast shuffled across and the beam, releasing the sails by cutting through though rope with a knife she kept hidden in her sleeve.

With a movement of her wrist, the sails came free. "All right, let's get this started!"

"All right, Chad! You heard the midget… Full speed ahead!"

Their orange-haired leader looked just in time to see a boot-covered foot come flying through the air, receiving a kick to the cheek as his best friend came swinging down on the rope hanging from the main structure. He went spiraling backwards through the door leading into the ship's cabin, a loud crash reverberating from within as his body smashed into the table and toppled onto the floor again.

Ichigo stumbled through the entryway unhurt, but slightly sore from the incident. "Are you nuts? What the Hell was that for?"

"That's what you get for making fun of a lady." The raven-haired girl crossed her arms and frowned. "Make another crack about my height, and the next time I'll toss you overboard."

He cringed slightly at the thought, shaking his head to clear it from his mind. "For the love of God, you never did know how to take a joke?"

Rukia steamed slightly. "Well you could at least apologize for what you said!"

"Well maybe if acted more like a lady instead of flying off the handle, I would…"

"Don't start up with me now, especially when we have work to do!" she retorted with a steamed expression, her cheeks turning red with annoyance as she struggled to keep her tone as civil as possible. Unfortunately it had the opposite affect.

The captain blinked with a flabbergasted expression. "Are you completely insane? You were the one who started this by kicking me in the face!"

Yasutora Sado watched as they argued for several minutes, having grown used to this type of thing due to the several years they had all known each other. He discreetly attempted to tune them out and turned back to steering the ship, but as his eyes began moving towards the enemy ship, he felt a twinge if surprise. Instead of trying to escape, the opposing vessel had turned around and was coming closer to them by the second, making for a collision course.

"Brace for impact!" Chad bellowed, the uncharacteristic tone of his voice causing both of them to stop their bickering mid-sentence.

They looked up as the their ship came close to colliding with the enemy vessel, all three members of the crew looking at the deck of the larger craft. It was nothing special as far as pirate ships went, but the actual structure was easily over ten times the size of their small fishing boat. A series of cannons and portholes adorned the side of the newcomer's boat, and it was decorated with red-symbols depicting the kanji for obscene phrases and gestures. The flag swaying high above their heads had the symbol of a large skull with missing teeth and demonic horns, although even up close it was still not familiar to the trio.

Without warning, several thuggish-looking men with harpoon guns rose up along the side of the deck of the enemy ship and open fired. Large curved speed-like projectiles attached to metal cords quickly splintered the side of the trio's own vessel, several more of these grappling hooks ripping through the sails was they seized the smaller ship.

"What do these bastards think they're doing?" Ichigo screamed to nobody in particular.

The enemy pirates didn't bother to answer as more hooks and steel cables continued to bind the small fishing boat, a loud creaking noise rebating through the area as the wood began splintering under the strain. Several of them attached the cables to a large winch and in a matter of seconds they began reeling in their prey like a hoard of fish trapped in a net.

"They're trying to capture our ship!" Rukia chastised her so-called leader for asking such a dumb question. "Don't just stand there like an idiot, do something!"

Ichigo ignored her yelling and instead addressed the dark-skinned man standing on the upper deck. "Hey Chad! We've got a situation here!" he turned back to the woman standing behind him. "You both know what to do!"

"I'm on it…" the larger man replied in his usual calm tone, giving his captain a quick nod.

Leaping from the helm, he ducked into a trap door that lead to the lower decks. Rukia turned and ran into the door leading back into the captain's cabin, emerging a second later carrying a weapon that when placed on it's tip and held horizontally, would easily be taller than her. It was a large blade with a dark hue, shaped like an elegant cleaver, and decorated with a series of white bandages that wrapped tightly around hilt. Seeing that the enemy pirates were beginning to seize

"Catch!" She tossed the blade to her captain, who instinctively seized it with his right hand.

"Thanks Rukia!" he shot back at her before refocusing his attention on their opponents.

One of the thugs pointed at him. "That big-mouthed carrot-top must be the leader. Kill him!"

Several of the opposing men took out firearms of all different types and began shooting at the orange-haired man, howling with excitement and tossing insults as they poured on the barrage of bullets. A cloud of smoke obscured the target, causing the gunmen to pause their attack for a second to see if the target had been killed, but were shocked to see him standing on the deck completely unharmed with several stray bullets littering the floor.

"That's it… That's all you got?" Ichigo shouted challenging, his eyes narrowing and a look of amusement gracing his lips.

Their enemies fired an iron ball directly at him using one of their cannons, the feat made simple by the close proximity of their ships. Kurosaki Ichigo sliced through the projectile with a single movement of his wrist, causing the two halves of it to fall harmlessly into the water on the other side of his ship. Rukia smiled with a satisfied expression as she saw the shocked expression of their enemies, most of them having never seen anyone rip through steel with a sword.

Just then, a tall skinny man shoved on of the pirates into the water. He was a slimly built individual with a long thin mustache, tiny sunken eyes, and short blue hair that was slicked back as if he had applied some kind of hair gel. Although he was missing an eye, the man was rather well dressed in comparison to his crewmates, sporting an overly stylish red coat with golden buttons and long cuffed sleeves with fancy embroidery. The black sash held a scabbard and sword, although surprisingly he did not draw the weapon.

The foppish man clapped his hands lightly before addressing his victims. "Very impressive, to think someone so young has already attained such a high-level of swordsmanship." He glanced down at the girl and boy standing on the deck of the opposing ship.

Rukia glared up at their attacker and his crew, her eyes watching carefully in case they decided to resume the strike. "Who are you, and what do you want with us?" she hissed dangerously.

"I am Patros… overseer and deputy captain of the Raging Bull Pirates. Surely as fellow denizens of this quadrant, you must have heard of us?"

Ichigo exchanged a glance with his first mate before shaking his head. "Up until recently my crew and I spent our entire lives living in one of the biggest port towns in South Blue, fighting off pirates that threatened our friends and family."

"In all that time, we never heard of a man named Patros, or the Raging Bull Pirates." The petite girl added with a shrug. "You must be a real small-time pest if we never saw a wanted poster issued by the Marines."

Patros flinched violently as he heard this, coming seconds from falling overboard only to be saved by his crewmates. "Wh-what do you mean by that!" he stammered in an angry frenzy, drops of spit flying from his mouth. "How dare you little brats make fun of me. I'm a powerful pirate worth twenty million berries!"

"Only twenty million… If that's the case than those government guys at Marine Headquarters must really be lowering their standards." Ichigo replied coldly, a sense of indifference lingering in the air.

"Here I was going to ask you and your friends to join my crew, but now that I think about it, a disrespectful bastard like you only deserves death!" the opposing captain declared confidently. He snapped his fingers once, causing his subordinates to raise their weapons. "Do you two have any last words?"

The carrot top heard a pair of knocks issuing from beneath the deck and grinned cockily at the enemy leader. "Yeah… … … I wouldn't stand there if I were you."

Beneath the deck, Yasutora Sado had rigged several cannons to go off at the same time and rigged them to target certain locations on the enemy ship while his captain distracted the pirates. Pulling the release mechanism, he fired off several cannonballs. The enemy pirates ran for cover as the starboard side of their ship was smashed full of holes, causing the overconfident captain to squeal and dive onto the deck as a second barrage came seconds from taking off his head.

"Now's your chance! Do it, Ichigo!" Rukia ordered with a sense of urgency.

Ichigo raised his sword and cut through one of the steel cables that their opponents had used to immobilize their ship, quickly moving onto the next in an attempt to free his own vessel from their clutches. A few of the enemy pirates began to recover and started returning fire in an attempt to gun down the orange-haired captain but their bullets were intercepted as his first mate leapt into action.

The petite woman held a pair of dueling pistols in her hands, her own shots having collided with the enemy bullets in mid-air. Her considerable skill had rendered the gunmen shocked for a second, allowing her to retaliate. With a few loud cracks, the enemy snipers fell dead on the floor, the first man's heart having pierced by one shot, while his companion had taken one between the eyes. More pirates emerged to open fire on Ichigo's ship, but Rukia danced around their sloppy shots with surprising grace and rhythm.

"We've under attack, captain!" one of the thugs screamed frantically.

"I can see that, you fatuous imbecile!" Patros responded in an angry drawl, his hands shaking violently. Drawing his blade from its sheath, he impaled his own crewmate out of frustration before realizing that the enemy was beginning to sail away. "After them, you fools! We can't allow those rookies to humiliate us in our own territory! The boss would be furious if he found out about this!"

As they gave chase to the smaller ship, Ichigo's crew struggled to keep their distance. Due to the size of the craft not only were they a small target on the wide-open sea, but also factoring in the trio's skills they were able to maneuver around the enemy's cannon blasts without much trouble. While Ichigo went to the helm and began steering the ship away from their pursuers, Chad emerged from below deck. He had repositioned the cannons and had just finished removing the hooks from the side of their ship with his bare hands.

"It's not a permanent solution, but I patched up some of the holes they made in the lower levels with those harpoons." The dark-skinned man explained in his deep, quiet tone.

"That's fine… We'll have to stop once we ditch these guys to make some repairs." Rukia nodded her approval and returned her attention to their captain. "If I recall, it was your bright idea to pick a fight with a better equipped enemy."

"We're running low on supplies, and we're in the middle of ocean! If you ask me, I say we should turn this crate around and finish what we started before those weasels sink us."

"Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea right now." Chad agreed with a tiny nod, his finger pointing behind them. "It looks like they plan on chasing us no matter how far we manage to go.

Ichigo's trademark scowl reappeared. "Yeah, and we didn't become pirates just so we could run from guys like that." He glared at the enemy vessel with a bitter expression before turning back to his friends. "There was nothing more for us back home, and out here we're finally free to do whatever we want. I'd burn in Hell before letting thugs like them get away with pushing us around!"

The group's sole female looked between her friends and then sighed in defeat, having realized the truth behind their sentiments. Back in their hometown they were all essentially orphans and had spent years playing together due to their similar backgrounds. The port island where they had grown up was filled with unsavory types and received regular visits from pirates in addition to the local merchants.

Naturally the Marines were unable to police the entire city since most of the branches of their organization were situated in the Grand Line to deal with much bigger problems. This resulted in several pockets of organized crime in the town, and the local law enforcement was often paid off by these criminal groups to ignore any incidents that might occur. Having grown up in this kind of environment, ravaged by pirates and thugs, had shaped Ichigo and his two friends into what they had become.

When they were older, the trio had grown tired of living in constant fear and practiced with weapons. They quickly began fighting off pirates that attacked the port and developed their fighting skills through countless endeavors. Their vigilante activities had also made them the enemies of the law, until one night they decided to leave home and find a new life on the high seas. Inspired by the idea of attaining wealth and freedom like Roger the Pirate King, the trio fixed an old boat and left together, none of them looking back.

"Hey, you still in there?" Ichigo wave a hand I front of her violet eyes.

Snapping out of her small flashback, the petite woman seized her captain by the wrist and shoved his hand away from her face. "Guys…" she began with a dark expression. "Prepare for battle!"

Kurosaki Ichigo groaned and ran a hand through his spiky orange locks. "Too late for that! Chad already started while you were standing there like a statue, but I guess we should be grateful for the permission anyway."

"Maybe I should be the captain, then?" Rukia placed her hands on her hips.

"Last time I checked, you weren't exactly the most intimidating person on this boat. We would never be taken seriously with you as the boss."

"And the last time I checked, people weren't particularly afraid of loud-mouthed, skinny, overbearing carrot-tops, either!"

He opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of a cannonball whizzing by and splashing in an incredibly close proximity of the ship forced them to reassess the situation again. For the second time they realized that the enemy was within inches of getting them, only this time they changed strategies. Another cannonball came towards them at point blank range, but Chad used his immense strength to catch the weapon and lob it back at their adversaries with even greater force, effectively smashing a giant hole in the hull of the opposing boat.

The enemy vessel fired several more rounds, but the result was the same, with Chad using the close range to his advantage. He caught the cannonballs to protect their own boat and used them to punch holes in the enemy's ship, Ichigo joining him on the main deck to intercept the rest with his sword in case his friend was unable to stop them from hitting. By this time, Rukia had taken the helm, but she was forced to drive with on hand on the wheel while using her remaining hand to wield a pistol. Several more minutes passed like wildfire as the battle continued in much the same manner.

"Stop, you slugs! At this rate you're just giving them ammunition to use against us!" Patros shouted as he felt his own ship beginning to sink under the redirected bombardment. The angry pirate drew his sword and signaled for his crewmates to attack. "Go at 'em head on! We'll board their vessel and take it by force!"

With a loud chorus of battle cries, about two-dozen members Raging Bull pirates leapt from their ship and onto the much smaller boat, most of them wielding swords, knives, guns, rifles, and just about any types of weapon that they could get their hands on. Realizing that they would soon be completely overwhelmed, Ichigo and his two friends stood together and prepared to face off against the enemies boarding their ship.

Rukia backed into her captain as they stood trapped in a corner surrounded by enemies. "I think we can take them."

The orange-haired man smirked with a sense of boundless confidence. "Let's see which one of us can kill the most." He nudged the large man standing to his left. "What do you say, Chad?"

Sado let out a small grunt to affirm his agreement before the trio shot in three different directions, each of them attacking the angry mob that had intruded on their ship. The dark-skinned man smashed one man's face in with a barehanded punch, kicking another pirate so hard that he crashed into a group of his crewmates, all of whom landed in the water. Chad was skilled at tending to a ship, but even better at fighting in hand-to-hand combat.

Ichigo parried a strike from one of the enemy pirates, using his sword to behead his opponent while killing off another with the same slash. Several more enemies came at him, but they were obviously no match for his superior skill and monstrous strength. In a matter of seconds, he had disabled about six men without dealing any fatal blows. Despite his gruff exterior and desire to prove his own strength against tough opponents, the carrot top preferred to spill as little blood as possible when dealing with his enemies.

"Having fun, Rukia?" he called over his shoulder to the petite woman.

"A blast…" she replied, subconsciously rolling her eyes in response to his question.

The sole female of their group was less merciless but more rational, and as such she was less keen to get into a fight, she more willing to finish the job once they began. Using a knife and pistol, she fatally injured about a dozen men, killing the ones who refused to fall by slashing them with the dagger in her opposite hand. They attempted to return fire, but Rukia was too agile to be caught off guard by thugs of their level.

With the rest of the mob down for the count, one last man lunged desperately at Ichigo with his sword, but the orange-haired captain stopped him without even using his own sword to counter the strike. Seizing his enemy by the wrist, he lifted the struggling pirate over his head and tossed him overboard without so much as a backwards glance, looking rather annoyed by his lackluster attempt to kill.

"Looks like we showed those jerks a thing or two…" Ichigo cracked his knuckles and stabbed his sword into the deck of his ship to rest.

Rukia sighed wearily in response. "Don't get to cocky yet… The fight's not over until we take down everyone on the enemy's ship."

"What about him…" Chad pointed to the deck of the enemy ship where the familiar sound of mocking applause was emanating from.

Patros looked almost impressed by the display, but his benevolent expression quickly vanished to reveal look of pure malice. Although he glared down at the trio standing on the smaller ship, the fearsome expression on his face did little to intimidate his prey. He drew out his sword in an attempt to intimidate them, but they stared directly back at him without so much as twinge of fear, completely impassive in the face of his killing intent.

Ichigo snapped his neck back into place with the side of his hand before wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "So are you ready to give up or do are you gonna drag this fight out even longer?"

The older pirate captain place a finger to his lip and whistled very loudly, summoning the remaining two members of his crew. A tall bulky man with brown spiky hair popped up from behind his captain. He had a thick square-set jaw and small lines of age running down his face. He wore a dark jacket and ragged jeans.

A second man also appeared behind Patros, this one with a much younger appearance, looking much closer to the age of Ichigo and his friends. He had spiky red hair, piercing amber eyes, and wore a blue ascot. His outfit consisted of a baggy pants and a white top exposing the lower half of his stomach, giving him a more effeminate appearance when compared to the lower level thugs of the crew.

"You called, captain…" the stocky pirate greeted in a deep, hoarse voice.

"What do ya need, boss man? Is there someone we gotta kill? Please tell me there's someone we gotta kill!" his partner added in a hyperactive tone, silently licking his lips with an unnerving sense of bloodlust.

Patros looked from one to the other as if sizing them up before making a gesture towards their intended adversaries. "Eliminate the big guy and the midget. The orange haired freak belongs to me! You got that?"

The two men saluted briefly before turning their attention towards Ichigo's ship, both landing on the side of the deck across from Ichigo and his friends. They drew their swords and savagely charged at the trio with animalistic ferocity, only to be stopped by Chad and Rukia. The dark-skinned man looked down at his opponent with a look of surprise, having gotten the smaller man as his adversary while Rukia found herself facing off against the larger enemy.

While it looked a little bit strange at first, the two pairs hadn't chosen their opponents out of size, but rather because of their personal abilities. The bigger man had attempted to strike them down with a large broadsword, forcing the petite woman to parry with her katana. She preferred not to have to use her most powerful weapon most of the time, but due to her enemy's superior size and strength she saw little other choice in the matter. Meanwhile, Chad had locked arms with his opponent, the smaller man having managed to block his fist with a kick.

"So, would you gentleman care to introduce yourselves?" Rukia asked with a sense or courtesy.

The bullish man jumped away from her to break the deadlock. "Never met a pirate with manners before, but I guess we can oblige." He commented with a confused expression. "They call me Aldegor, and I'm the right hand of Commander Patros!"

His opponent took a fighting stance, her expression becoming cold and icy. "I am known as Kuchiki Rukia… It will be a pleasure to cut you down."

A few meters away, Yasutora Sado attempted to crush his opponent by swinging his fist, but the smaller man somersaulted backwards and landed out of his range. The dark-skinned fighter took a minute to breath as he rounded on the more agile man. "So… Care to tell me your name?"

"What a stupid question!" his opponent cackled with glee, the laughter stopping a few seconds later as if someone had pressed a switch. The animalistic man looked upon his larger adversary with killing intent. "I'm Menis, the left hand of Commander Patros, but now that you know my name, I have no choice but to kill you!"

His opponent said nothing as the feral man scampered towards him like an enraged monkey, delivering a series of swift punches and kicks to every place that he could hit. Sado struggled as Menis continued to increase the speed and intensity of his strikes, rendering him unable to counterattack. The larger man struggled to defend himself as best he could from the onslaught, but was unable to so much as aim a punch of his own.

As he struggled against his opponent, Rukia found herself grateful that she had picked the larger enemy. His sword swings had a lot of power behind them and he was no slouch when it came time to fighting, but she could tell that her opponent was far from being a master swordsman. She moved away from his swings by ducking and jumping, carefully watching his movements so that she would not be caught off guard. While she found his swings easy to avoid, she had not taken into account the terrain and felt herself bump into a wooden rail, indicating that they had reached the edge of the ship.

"Now I got ya!" he screamed, bringing his blade down onto his smaller prey.

"We'll see about that!" Rukia raised her katana in a vertical parry to block the swing.

Although she stopped him from cleaving her in half, the force of the strike sent her reeling, allowing Aldegor to strike again when he guard was dropped. She reacted quickly and ducked as the blade came inches from her head, slicing off less than a centimeter off her hair as it narrowly missed her face. The stocky man's blade became stuck in the mast for a second, allowing her to create some distance between them.

As Rukia and Sado continued fighting with their opponents, their captain was having some troubles of his own. Ichigo stood on the upper portion of the deck where the helm was, directly across from his opponent. The arrogant Patros stood undaunted as the sea breeze tousled his hair, calmly drawing a long, thin rapier from his belt. The weapon had a yellow handle and round golden-colored guard. A mutual sense of annoyance lingered between the two leaders. They moved in a circle like two predators prepared to strike.

"You think you can beat me with that stick-shaped piece of crap." Ichigo commented.

The enemy's serious expression melted away instantly. "H-How can you say that?" he shouted with a sense of outrage. "This weapon is worth more than you could possibly imagine! Do you have any idea how much I paid for it on the black market?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo screamed, his eyes flashing dangerously as he exhaled a held breath. "I think you're missing point."

"Eh, w-what are you talking about now?" Patros stuttered with an odd expression.

"If you had decided to surrender your supplies and leave us alone, I might have let this go." The orange-haired pirate heaved his own sword onto his shoulder and sighed, his face tightening into an angry glare as he watched his friends fighting below. "But nobody attacks my friends and gets away with it! I'm gonna kick your ass and feed it to the sharks!"

"We will see!" the taller man screamed, his serious composure returning immediately.

Patros aimed a slash, but his opponent blocked it with a parry and thrust his own weapon forward them into a lock. They both pushed in an attempt to end the draw, but in the end Ichigo proved to be the stronger of the two and managed to shove his enemy backwards. He charged in with a powerful swing, but the older pirate slide the side of his weapon against the giant cleaver and pushed upwards to throw his adversary off balance, and retaliated with a swift kick to Ichigo's midsection.

"Damn, you fight dirty!" he scowled in annoyance.

"In a battle of pirates, anything goes…" Patros screamed as he tossed a knife that had been hidden in his sleeve, the tiny weapon planting itself in his opponent's shoulder. "Take the pain of loss as a lesson!"

The exchange continued between the leaders, but down below the fights were just as fierce. Rukia continued to use her superior speed to stay out of her enemy's path, this time factoring in the battlefield. Since they were on her ship, she certainly had the advantage in this particular situation, and had been taking advantage of it by ducking in and out of small spaces and scampering up poles and ropes as her opponent chased after her.

The young pirate was still glad to have chosen the big guy as her enemy rather than his partner, although at this point in the fight his endurance was getting annoying. She had struck him several times, stabbed him twice in the leg, dealt him a deep cut across the face, and once in the wrist, and yet it was still not enough to make him fall.

"Come back here and die like a man… uh, girl!" the stocky man corrected, his sword meeting empty air as his opponent slid between his legs to avoid the slash.

"Like I would let myself be killed by an idiot like you." Rukia reached into her pouch and withdrew a pistol, using it to shoot him in the butt.

Aldegor leapt in the air and yelped in pain, allowing her to trip him with a sweep of her leg. She ran back onto the deck with her enemy in hot pursuit, noticing now that he was moving slower than before. Rukia took this opportunity to head to the upper deck, knowing that he would be following her any second. The sound of footsteps quickly made her aware that she was correct, and in a matter of moments they began another clash of steel.

The petite girl was not above fighting dirty and kicked over the bucket of soapy water that he captain had been using to mop earlier. Aldegor slid on the wet floor and went careening over the side of the boat, landing in the water with a loud splash. Aldegor shook waded back towards he boat, but his opponent was prepared for this. Rukia heaved a stray cannon ball over the edge of the ship and dropped it on his head, knocking him out cold as he sunk beneath the waves.

"C'mon and fight back already?" Menis screamed as he continued to attack.

Sado's expression changed as he finally put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind. After taking so much punishment during this battle he had come to an interesting revelation. While the enemy was faster, Menis had very little variation in his movements, and that was his weakness. Now that he had seen every form multiple times, stopping the next strike would be all too easy so long as he recognized the movement and acted at the right time.

"Take this!" The feral combatant took a familiar stance and thrust his fist forward.

A knowing smile graced Sado's exotic features as he read the movement, grabbing his enemy by the hand and crushing the bones in his fingers with his superior power. The smaller fighter cried out in pain as he attempted to recoil his fist, but his opponent refused to let him go no matter how much he struggled and fought. Lifting him over his head with relative ease, Chad ignored the pain caused by his opponent's strikes and seized him by the skull, smashing the smaller man's face headfirst through the wooden floor.

Menis saw the room below the deck and realized what had happened, but his attempts to free himself were in vain. Yasutora Sado raised his foot and kicked the struggling man with as much force as he could muster, freeing him from his previous predicament by sending him flying into the sky above the battle. Menis waved his arms in a goofy manner as if trying to delay his fall before plummeting to his doom in the ocean below, but was struck again by the larger man's fist before he could even hit the ground.

Chad watched with a weary expression as his opponent's limp form went spiraling into the distance, a small sigh escaping his lips. "You were too arrogant, and that is why you lost this fight." He mused in a nonchalant tone.

As the two crewmates concluded their own battles, their captain was still finishing off his own. Patros lunged again, and although Ichigo dodged, the blade had grazed his face, leaving behind a small cut on his left cheek. The orange-haired fighter ignored the pain knowing that the recoil might cost him a fight and recovered just in time to block another slash. They locked blades again, but this time Ichigo had grown tired to the battle was prepared to end it.

With a loud roar, Ichigo slammed his own head into Patros' skull, causing him to howl in pain and stumble around in pain as he attempted to gain his footing. The younger pirate then took his chance and aimed a large slash at the other man's wrist, slicing off his sword hand and leaving a gigantic gash across his chest. Blood spewed everywhere as the older combatant fell to the floor, his blood seeping through the freshly made wound.

Sado and Rukia ascended the small set of stairs leading to the helm, but the orange-haired captain took a moment to disarm the unconscious man and bind his hands and feet with rope before addressing his crewmates. Once he had gagged the enemy with a dirty washcloth and muffled his mouth, Ichigo straightened up and smiled at his crewmates.

"See, that wasn't so tough. Here I was hoping we would run into some bigger names on the sea, but it looks like this scum just couldn't compete with us." Ichigo replied with his gruff smile, causing his crewmates to groan in response. The group's female kicked him in the shin, eliciting a small hiss from the captain. "What was that for?"

She glanced around at the damage to their craft and messaged her temples. "I agree that they weren't all that strong, but our ship sustained as lot of damage in the battle."

"So what! It doesn't look nearly as bad as what we did to them."

"That's not the point!" Rukia snapped, making both of her friends jump a little. The petite woman took a deep breath to soothe her nerves, and slowly regained her composure before speaking again. "For now we should really find a place to dock and make some repairs."

Ichigo discarded his bandana, gently running his other hand through his vibrant hair. He glanced around at the holes littering their ship and the damaged railing, his eyes moving towards several of the unmoving bodies while also taking notice of shoddy repairs that Chad had done while the enemy was bombarding them with harpoon.

"All right, I guess that wouldn't be a bad idea." He stuck a thumb over his shoulder at the enemy ship behind them. "First thing to do before we worry about that is to loot that eyesore and get some supplies. I swear if I don't get something to eat soon, I'm gonna keep over."

The three immediately agreed to this statement and quickly began to work, Rukia taking this time to restrain any of the surviving enemies while disposing of the deceased. The petite girl looked upon them with a sense of pity, as she was very respectful of the dead no matter who it was. As such she was very careful not to further damage the remains, as she gave them a burial at sea.

Meanwhile, her friends boarded the other vessel and returned with several boxes. After twenty minutes of moving back and forth between the two boats, they had nabbed everything worth of value from the enemy vessel. Two small piles of crates and boxes had collected on the deck of their ship by the time her friends made their last raid.

"Ichigo and I found plenty of food and supplies for the journey." Sado gestured towards the first stack of crates closest to him.

The raven-haired woman joined her friends. "We should get these spoils to the lower deck and place them in storage." Rukia walked over to inspect the fruits of their labor, but her attempt to life one the boxes resulted in a look of surprise. "Strange… This pile feels a little heavier than I was expecting."

Their captain wrestled the box from her and plopped it onto the floor, using the side of his sword to pry it open. Rukia's face lit up in surprise as she caught sight of the contents, her face bathed in the glow as the sunlight cast it's reflection off of the gold coins within. The petite woman slid her hand through the chest, carefully fingering the treasure with a look of pleasant surprise. It was all real, and there had to have been over a million worth of treasure in that one box alone.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Ichigo snapped the chest shut, refocusing the group's attention back onto himself. "Good thing Chad and I decided to loot the enemy's treasury while we were on board, or else we might've missed out on some quality treasure."

They took turns opening another box in the treasury pile, each one producing more valuable treasures with each trip. The trio was ecstatic by their discovery, seeing how they were only rookie pirates and had just stolen at least ten million berries worth of valuables and money during their first raid. After a few minutes of searching through the mess, Yasutora Sado found an unusually small box among the stolen treasure, and was immediately curious by it's size and shape. When he opened it, the larger man wasn't sure what to make of it's contents.

"Hey guys… I found something weird in one of these treasure boxes." He murmured in his deep monotone.

Ichigo and Rukia looked up from the crates of gold to see what he was talking about, their eyes settling on the gray, unappetizing fruit in his hand. It was about the size of a pineapple and had strange swirly black markings on the surface of the skin. The group's captain made a face at the strange plant as if the mere sight of it repulsed him, but his first mate's expression was one of mingled shock and awe.

"Why would someone keep a rotten fruit inside a treasure chest?" Ichigo made a gagging gesture. He was surprised when the woman standing beside him jumped over one of the boxes and tore it from the larger man's grip, her violet eyes widening in even greater surprised as she turned it over between her fingers. "What's up with you?"

"Morons, do you even know what this is?" she shoved the fruit in his face.

The captain scowled before pushing it away. "It's ugly and it stinks, that much is obvious."

"Maybe, but I recognize these markings from a book I read years ago. This isn't an ordinary piece of food… This is a Devil Fruit!"

The largest member of the crew scratched his head. "I have, but I thought they were just a legend from the Grand Line."

"Never heard of it!" Ichigo griped with a puzzled expression. "Since you guys seem to know so much about it, maybe someone would care to explain."

Rukia stuck her tongue out at her so-called leader, although her mannerisms became much more serious as she prepared to explain. "A Devil Fruit when eaten grants the person some type of superpower the likes of which most people can hardly comprehend. They are known as the Fruit of the Sea Devil, and because of this the person who devours one and gains its magnificent power lives a cursed life."

The orange-haired captain shrugged. "Say for a second I buy this story… What kind of curse are you talking about?"

"The Devil Fruit user can never swim again, meaning that falling into the water would result in certain death if it is used." She finished with a solemn expression.

"No… Stop!" Patros had spit out his gag and managed to squirm towards them from the upper deck despite his hands being tied. "That treasure is of grave importance to my master, you can't take it from me!"

Ichigo seized the man by his throat and lifted him into standing position so that they were facing each other. "We'll do whatever we want…" he hissed menacingly, causing the man's face to pale considerably. "To Hell with you and your boss!"

"Wait, you don't understand…" the enemy captain sputtered.

Without a second thought, he tossed upwards onto the deck of his ruined ship, at least having the mercy of sparing his life. The foul-tempered captain made a quick gesture towards the remaining enemy survivors, and Chad lifted them up and followed his friend's example. Once their captured enemies were back on their own ship, the orange-haired man ordered his crew to set sail, and they were off once again.

The group traveled for several hours, the weather remaining peaceful and calm as their small ship quietly skated over the gentle waves. It would appear that good fortune had smiled on their motley crew today, and they were eager to take advantage of it. They had placed every last bit of treasure and all of their supplies below deck. Chad had gone below deck to survey the damage more closely, while his two friends stayed above to guide the ship.

Kurosaki Ichigo looked out towards the horizon with a feeling of accomplishment at having finished his first major operation with success, and all doubts he had about choosing this life on the sea had begun to fade away. To be a pirate wasn't simply about stealing and fighting, but about learning to rely on friends and developing a closer bond through adventure. Of course, this rough life on the high seas was quite appealing to three discarded misfits like them who never really had much to return to at home. Of course it hadn't always been this way…

The young pirate captain fingered the key-shaped charm around his neck as these thoughts floated through his mind and smiled. It was the last gift his mother had given him before her death, and she had told him that it was a family heirloom handed down through generations on her side of the family. He kept it close and treasured the necklace not because of its value, but because it was the last piece of her that he had.

"Thinking about the good old days, Ichigo?" a female voice questioned. The orange-haired man looked up to see Rukia sitting on the railing beside him, her expression calm and her eyes focused on the horizon.

He almost frowned, but instead chose to brush off the comment. "Yeah, I guess you caught me."

She let out a pleasant laugh. "Sorry, I won't pry…" the girl paused a moment before raising another topic. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew the Devil Fruit. "If the stories about these things are true, then what should we do with this thing. I heard once before that they sell for over a hundred million berries on the black market."

"I've actually been thinking about that." Ichigo took the fruit from her and looked at the markings, making a face at its unappetizing appearance before speaking. "Maybe if I eat this nasty old thing, I can become stronger."

Rukia jumped slightly, looking surprised by his words. "You can't be serious…" she crossed her arms with disapproving look. "We don't even know what kind of power this Devil Fruit possesses, and even if we did, there's still the curse of the sea to consider. At least consider the risks before you take a bite of that thing."

"We took a lot of risks leaving home, and the longer we spend out here, the worse it's gonna get. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Her old friend held the fruit up without a single sign of fear in his eyes. "This is just one more to add to the list…"

Note to Readers:This has to be one of my biggest experiments in fanfiction yet, trying to make a crossover between two very different series, both of which I like very much. I plan on working hard to use the characters in a way that does them justice. Ichigo and his friends are from South Blue, so they won't be encountering any One Piece characters until later on in the story. Ichigo's group may encounter the Straw Hats eventually, but that's a long way off!

A cookie for anyone who realized that Patros, Menis, and Aldegor were a trio of annoying Arrancar that appeared briefly in the Bleach filler arcs. Since they basically had no personalities, I gave them goofy and somewhat menacing characterizations reminiscent of One Piece villains in this story.

I hope you enjoyed what I wrote so far… Not sure if I will write any more. It really depends on how much support I get for this story. If anyone has any ideas for the story, I am open to suggestions. Please review and tell me what you liked or would like to see in my story! Support really helps a writer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Pirate's Troubles  
><strong>

Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own the rights to Bleach or One Piece. This story is made solely for fun, not profit.

Somewhere in South Blue

Rukia grabbed her friend's wrist as he prepared to take a bite of the forbidden fruit. "Please listen to reason instead of making every decision without thinking about the consequences."

"If there's a chance that I can become stronger by eating this nasty thing, then I think it might be worth the consequences." He gently shook his arm until her grip slackened, his trademark scowl returning moments later. "There's tons of strong fighters out there in the world, and we can't afford to pass up something that could give us the upper hand."

She seized him by the collar of his shirt and shook her captain twice in an angry manner. "And what if you fall in the water and the rest of us can't save you in time? Is this a risk you're willing to take, or do you want to risk dying helplessly like drowned kitten?"

The captain pushed her away, but her grip on his shirt caused them both to land on the deck with a loud crash. As they prepared to go another round, Sado emerged from the lower decks, a puzzled expression adorning his face as he saw his two friends sitting on the stern of the ship. His presence seemed to have a sobering affect on the two other teenagers, who immediately separated themselves in an awkward manner.

The silence that fell was so strong, that all three could hear the sound of the waves beating against the side of the boat against the rhythmic sound of Chad's heavy footsteps. Ichigo pushed himself off of the floor and straightened up as he returned to a standing position, gently brushing the dirt off of his clothes. His first mate did the same and they both tried to regain a certain level of composure.

He forced out a smile, not wanting to offend his other friend. "Hey Chad! Is something going on that we should know about?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." The larger man remained as cool-headed as always, but his visible eye seemed to gravitate towards a certain object that lay abandoned on the floor. "Please tell me this doesn't have anything to do with the Devil Fruit we found."

"As a matter of fact, it does." Ichigo explained the situation.

The lone woman of the crew let out an exasperated groan before turning her gaze on their third member. "Captain Strawberry over there seems to think it would be a good idea to eat the Devil Fruit even after I explained the consequences that come with it."

Before their friend could answer, Ichigo interrupted him. "That Devil Fruit could increase our chances of becoming more successful as pirates. Don't you think it's worth it?"

"Please do us all a favor and talk some sense into him!" Rukia added in quickly, her face glowing with irritation. "I'm telling you this is a bad idea. What if your insides explode? What if that thing turns out to be poisoned? Don't forget, there's no way for us to know what kind of abilities that Devil Fruit could grant the person who eats it. Please consider the repercussions for once in your life instead of running in without any thought!"

"You don't even know what you're talking about, so don't start acting like you're some kind of expert on the Grand Line!"

"I know a Hell of a lot more than you!" The petite girl placed her hands on her hips, and squared up to the much taller captain, causing them to lock eyes as their gazes met. Despite the obvious difference in height, neither backed down.

The dark-skinned man looked between his two companions in silence as he considered the options for himself. On one hand, Ichigo was absolutely right about the power boost he could gain from eating a Devil Fruit. If any of the stories from the Grand Line had any truth to them, then he would probably support their captain's decision. Of course while it sounded rather intriguing to imagine their leader with Devil Fruits powers, the dark-skinned man couldn't help but consider the curse that came with it.

It was truly a difficult decision, but Chad understood his friends well. The large man watched them repeat their argument as they continued to bicker again, but quickly grew tired of watching the spectacle. After so many years of hanging out with those two, watching these miniature battles occur on a daily basis had long grown tiresome. He cleared his throat in order to gain their attention, immediately silencing his two crewmates.

"So, what do you think we should do?" Rukia folded her arms and tapped her foot.

Yasutora Sado paused and took a short breath. "I thought about it, and it seems like you both made a convincing argument. The thing is… No matter what he chooses to do, neither of us have the right to question it."

"Thanks Chad…" Ichigo replied with a triumphant expression.

"I was only telling the truth." The larger man replied in his monotone drawl.

The petite girl looked as if she had just been slapped across the face, but quickly worked to hide this expression from her friends. After a moment or two of consideration, Rukia realized that she had been holding her breath and exhaled, releasing all of her pent up stress at the same time.

"All right, then… Considering how much of a stubborn bastard you can be, I shouldn't have wasted my time." Rukia closed her eyes and pushed a stray hair away from her face, a shadow of a smile gracing her noble features. "This is your life, so we'll support whatever decision you choose to make."

Ichigo returned her sentiment with a similar expression. "Like Chad said… This my decision to make." Bending over towards the floor, the captain retrieved the gray pineapple-sized fruit and rubbed it against his shirt, taking a moment to indulge in a rare smile as he positioned it near his mouth. "Well, here goes nothing… Bottom's up!"

The orange-haired captain bit into it and began to chew, his face contorting in disgust with each bite until the entire fruit was in his stomach. He had been right about one thing so far, this being that the fruit tasted just as bad as it smelled, and about a hundred times worse than it looked. To preserve his own pride, he didn't want to give Rukia any sign that her opinions might have been valid, and because of this he did his best to ignore the horrible flavor. Truthfully, it tasted like he had just been force-fed the world's nastiest poison.

His two crewmates watched quietly as their leader swallowed the last bite, a sense of satisfaction showing through his disgust. "Well… Now what's supposed to happen?" He turned to the group's female for answers.

Rukia shrugged with an odd expression. "Sorry, but I've never seen someone eat a Devil Fruit."

"Do you feel any different?" Chad leaned towards him expectantly.

Their leader looked fine for a moment, but suddenly began to cough and sputter. He fell to the floor with a loud crash and began to twitch as a strange sensation filled his body. The others were so shocked by his reaction to the Devil Fruit, that they sat frozen in complete awe of what was going on. Ichigo flopped onto his stomach and pressed his hands against the deck, trying to push himself into a sitting position, but only managing to get onto his hands and knees and maintain a crawling stance.

"Ichigo!" The petite woman screamed, as she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to his feet, but it was no good. She glared at the third member of the crew, her expression snapping him out of his shock. "Sado, help me lift him up."

The dark skinned man shuffled over and attempted to aid her in returning their captain to a standing position, but they were swatted aside by the very man they were trying to help. The force of his strike had sent them both hurtling over the rail, causing them both to tumble back to the main deck. Luckily for her, Rukia had landed on top of Chad when they crash-landed onto the hard wood floor. After a second of struggling, they both returned to their feet and ran back to the helm just in time to see something that neither had ever expected.

Kurosaki Ichigo had remained in the same position, but the captain's form was beginning to change shape as if the Devil Fruit was trying to restructure his entire body. His arms, legs, and torso had grown much more muscular than before, similar to Sado's monstrous power. A large pair of horns had already protruded from his head and he could feel his hands and feet growing disproportionately large as long curved talon emerged where his fingernails had been moments before.

As quickly as it began, the transformation stopped. It wasn't really painful in the traditional sense, but the sensation was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he had been powerless to stop or control what had been happening moments earlier. Even without looking up to see what was going on, Ichigo could feel the gazes of his two friends boring into him. He kept his face turned towards the ground, apparently nervous to hear what they thought about it.

Rukia walked up to him carefully, her eyes still wide with shock. She blinked once and pulled herself together before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ichigo… Are you all right? C'mon, speak to us!" she begged, gently tugging the sleeve of his shirt.

He reached towards his neck with one of his newly made claws, gently removing her hand from his shoulder as he stood up again. In this form he was just as tall and well built as Chad, but this was hardly the most surprising part of his change. Ichigo's hair had grown long and unruly during the transformation, causing it to cover his face while he was crouched against the floor. Now that he was standing straight again, they were able to see his full features.

The young man's head had become gaunt and skull-like, almost as if it were a mask. Ichigo's teeth were razor sharp like those of a Sea King, his black with eerie yellow pupils, and several red stripes now ran down the surface of his face. His shoes had been ripped open by the presence of his newly grown claws, and the expansion of his physique had caused his shirt to rip slightly due to the strain created by his new larger form. In addition to the gigantic claws, his arms were also longer in proportion to his body, making him look like some type of monster.

Rukia looked scared by his appearance and felt herself subconscious backing away, but she bumped into Chad's large form and came to her senses. No matter what form he had taken, he was still their captain, but this didn't quell the feeling of fear that had built up in her chest. Naturally she did her best to pretend otherwise and began moving forwards again. She inched towards him with Chad following closely behind, both of them unwilling to break the silence.

Cleaning away her doubts, she took a step towards him. "Ichigo… Talk to us!"

He let out a loud growl, causing her to almost jump out of her skin. Once she had recovered, the petite girl saw a tiny smile on Chad's face followed by a deep sigh from the demonic-looking captain. It only took her a second to realize what was going on, and she reacted accordingly. Rukia leapt into the air at their leader, smashing him over the head with the hilt of her sword and pushing him to the floor again.

"You asshole!" she screamed into his face now that they were level again. Their eyes locked, and it soon became clear that she was no longer afraid of his glowing yellow eyes.

Ichigo stood up again and rubbed his head, clearly more at ease with the new form. "Annoying midget! Did you have to hit me so hard?" he replied in a tone he didn't recognize, his voice having become rather hoarse and gravely as a result of his changed body.

Although the new sound caused her to blink in surprise, this didn't seem to bother Rukia very much. "I was worried about you, and here you are trying to give me a heart attack!" she shot back angrily, folding her arms and giving him a look that clearly wished him a painful demise.

Chad stepped past her and exchanged glances with their captain, quickly making note that he no longer had to look down at him. "So, do you feel any different?" he questioned simplistically.

The orange-haired pirate flexed his enhanced muscles and looked at his hands, his demonic face displaying a bit of confusion. He had no idea what the Devil Fruit had done to him, but the first impression was that it had somehow transformed him into a monster. Seeing the much larger man without looking up was odd enough, but it was almost funny how Rukia looked even smaller than usual. After purposely scaring her earlier, he chose not to bring up the subject of her height right now and instead addressed the more serious issues.

"So, it looks like that what you heard was the truth. These things really do turn people into monsters." He glanced at his thick, clawed hands and moved his arms around confusedly. "I hope whatever power it gave me was worth looking like a freak for the rest of my life."

Rukia shook her head indignantly and let her fury cool again before speaking. "Trust me Ichigo, you're no more of a freak than you were before eating that Devil Fruit."

Her comment earned the tiniest of reactions from Chad, but their captain ignored him and instead focused on his first mate. "Very funny…" he sighed deeply and placed his hands behind his head in a slightly depressed manner. "If this form really does make me stronger, maybe it'll be worth it. Like I said before… I made my decision, so now I have to live with the consequences."

"There has to be something we can think of." Sado responded with a stern nod.

The group fell quiet as they considered the possibility of him being trapped in this strange new form for the rest of his days, and even if it did prove beneficial the prospects were still dark. He couldn't just walk around looking that without causing some kind of panic, plus it wasn't an ideal situation for blending in with the crowd while trying to hide from enemies. The situation seemed to grow eve grimmer by the second as they stood trapped in thought.

Suddenly Rukia's head perked up as she remembered something she had read in a book several years ago. "Wait a minute… Maybe you can have the best of both worlds!"

"What are you going on about all of a sudden?" the lumbering form of her captain turned to face her, his decidedly demonic gaze proving to be somewhat unsettling.

"Relax Ichigo, maybe she knows something." Chad added solemnly. "After all, she seems to know more about these things than either of us."

The female pirate nodded in agreement. "While we were thinking about what to do, I remembered that there were three different types of Devil Fruits."

"So how does that help my situation?" Ichigo replied with a frightening expression.

"According to the book I read, the Devil Fruits are divided into three subcategories known as Paramecia, Logia, and Zoan. The first type allows the user to gain some kind of superpower, the second allows the user to compose their body into an substance, and the last allows the user to turn into an animal."

Rukia quickly used a sketchpad and pen to draw a diagram of three people, who for some reason looked more like teddy bears in her illustration. She turned the page and did another drawing of all three men, only this time the first was flying, the second seemed to be on fire, and the third teddy bear-like man was depicted with large rabbit ears protruding from his head. She held up the pad and flipped both pages back and forth to give them a picture with her explanation.

"Are you following me so far?" she asked with an impatient look.

"Yeah, I guess…" The captain scratched his head with a claw. "Although I gotta say that the crappy visuals just make it harder to understand. Using those sucky drawings like that doesn't really help the presentation."

Before he could say anything else, the petite girl tossed her sketchpad at his head, causing to get caught on his newly sprouted horn. He groaned in annoyance, but said nothing in retaliation. As he fussed to remove the object from the point of his horn, Rukia grit her teeth. Her eyes twitching slightly in irritation as she leaned against the railing of the ship and took a minute to relax. After what he had just gone through, she decided that it was best not to lecture him for his rude behavior this time.

"So, what were you going to say, Rukia?" Chad questioned with a blank expression.

The petite pirate sat up a folded her arms and exhaled before looking up again, her temper tantrum having died down. "Based on the off transformation that resulted from the Devil Fruit's consumption, I believe Ichigo must've eaten a Zoan Type."

Ichigo groaned impatiently. "You care to explain how that makes a difference to me?"

"I was just getting to that!" she shot back, taking a second to clear her throat. "As I was saying, a Zoan Type Devil Fruit usually allows the consumer to transform into an animal form. This typically increases the user's physical capabilities in any number of ways depending on the animal that the fruit is based on."

"Is there a way to reverse the affect or am I gonna be stuck like this?" he pressed.

Rukia turned her head as if she were dismissing him. "Let me finish… The point that I was trying to make in relation to your situation is that a Zoan Devil Fruit user can typically change back to their original form. I don't see what harm it would do to try."

Ichigo shrugged his massive shoulders. "I'll give it a shot. After all, what have I got to lose?"

The captain glanced down at his body and began to focus on returning to the way he was, it took him a minute to calm down and focus properly, but eventually he felt his body parts returning to their original shape. His horns and claws retracted and his body began to shrink back to its normal size and proportions, his skin returning to its proper tone, and his eyes returning to their proper brown color. The long orange hair cascading around his shoulders slowly shortened as if it were being pulled back into his follicles, and the skull like texture of his face returned to normal human skin. The markings running down his face faded, completely changing his appearance to the way it was.

Once again his crewmates looked surprised by his transformation, although this time they felt a sense of normalcy upon its completion. Ichigo ripped off his torn shirt and kicked off his tattered shoes, although the ruined garments were of little concern to him. Letting out a sigh of relief, the captain took a moment to stretch his own muscles, looking at his human hands and feeling his face to confirm for himself. Needless to say that he was glad that everything had returned to normal without any major problems.

Ichigo leaned against the helm, his eyes briefly focusing on a flock of seagulls. "So Rukia, you were saying something about this Devil Fruit having some type of animal shapeshifting power?"

"That was my hypothesis based on past readings." She answered knowledgeably.

"The thing is, I'm not entirely sure." He began with a puzzled expression, gently running a hand through his spiky orange hair. "That crazy transformation didn't look like any kind of animal that I've ever seen. It was more like something out of one of those scary stories that my mom used to tell me when I was a kid."

"He's right… I'm not certain, but maybe there's more to it." Chad added in agreement.

"I think so too." Ichigo looked between his friends before addressing his first mate. "Do you still have this Devil Fruit book?"

Rukia remembered seeing the guide to the Grand Line on the bookshelf that morning and decided to go get it. Pushing herself off of the railing, she ran into the door leading to the captain's cabin. Ichigo leaned forward anxiously as he heard his things being tossed around and prepared to follow her, but she emerged from the entry less than a minute later with a book in her right hand. It was a small, leather-bound book with the picture of the Grand Line drawn on the front, surrounded on both sides by the Calm Belts.

"Was there anything in your book that might shed some light on this mess" Ichigo reached for the book, but it was quickly pulled from his reach by his first mate.

"Wait a minute while I look through the chapter on Zoan Type Devil Fruits."

Kuchiki Rukia flipped through the pages rapidly, her crewmates falling silent as she searched through the large volume. After a few seconds of looking, she found the desired chapter and began skimming the pages in an attempt to find anything that even remotely sounded similar to what had happened to her captain upon eating his Devil Fruit. Ichigo began to scowl impatiently after several minutes of silence.

Rukia smiled sweetly in response to his grunt, her unusual gesture causing great discomfort among her crewmates. "I'm sorry for wasting your precious time trying to help you." She held the opened book out towards the captain with an innocent expression. "Maybe you should look."

"Sure… I guess… …" Ichigo looked slightly taken aback by her odd behavior.

She quickly dispensed with the false smile and smacked him over the head with the large volume, the blow knocking him onto his back. Ichigo bounced back up with a nasty expression, barely managing to suppress his fury.

"Do you always have to react violently?" He rubbed his head irritably before standing up.

"You really should have seen that coming…" Chad commented with an inscrutable expression.

Rukia ignored the ensuing debate that began between her friends and returned her attention to the book, quietly flipping through one page at a time in an attempt to find some relevant information. Although they were distracting, she thought it best not to say anything else. There were times when even Rukia could admit that she was a little too hard on her friends, although she would never admit it out loud, the petite woman greatly appreciated their tolerance of her strong-handed personality.

After turning a few more pages, she clapped her hands to gain their attention. "Hey guys, I think I found something you might want to take a look at." The two men dropped their own conversation, both eager to see what she was taking about.

"Let me see that!" The orange-haired captain pried the book from her grip, his eyes widening in shock as he read the print. "I can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Chad crept up behind him and leaned in, only for their first mate to snatch the book back from them.

She cleared her throat authoritatively before explaining. "According to the notes written at the bottom of this page, it says that there are rumored to be Devil Fruits that produce transformations based on mythical species. These so-called Mythical Zoan Types are supposedly the rarest of the Devil Fruits, and are said to be some of the most powerful."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head with a relieved expression. "And here we were thinking that this Devil Fruit was just some defective piece of trash. Now we know why none of us could recognize what that animal form was supposed to be."

"Is there anything else written in that section about it?" the dark-skinned man questioned.

Rukia turned a page and was surprised to see that the article had a little more to it, but was even more shock to see a crude drawing of what appeared to be the same fruit her friend had just devoured. "Guys… Take a look at this!" she called out. "Apparently the Devil Fruit you ate was originally eaten by a man several centuries ago." Her eyes scanned the page and she continued. "It was apparently one of the few documented cases in which a Mythical Zoan was found, which is why it appears in the book."

Ichigo glanced over her shoulder. "Due to the man being a pirate, there's not much information on it." He pointed at the tiny amount of print under the picture. "It says here that it was called the Demon-Demon Fruit: Oni Model."

"I've heard of the Oni before." Chad replied in his deep drawl. "The old legends my grandfather used to tell me were about hideous horned demons with terrifying mask-like faces that kidnapped and devoured disobedient kids. "

"Yeah, I heard the same stories from my mom when I was a kid." Ichigo replied with a slightly uneasy expression.

Rukia looked mildly impressed that he had caught on before anybody else. "As it turns out, you weren't really all that far off when you mentioned that the Devil Fruit transformation looked like something out of a fairy tale. In any case, it looks like you might have lucked out by."

Their leader actually looked contented for a change. "You mean the fact that I managed to get my hands on a rare power like this? Yeah, I guess I should consider myself lucky."

"It's perfect for someone who already fights like a mindless demon." She ignored the insulted grunt that came from her captain and continued speaking as if he hadn't interrupted. "I think it was very fortunate for everybody that you received an ability that you might actually be able to use in battle."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The captain replied with a much calmer disposition than before.

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure that luck was the only reason behind this." Chad interrupted.

Rukia raised an eyebrow at her dark-skinned friend. "Would you care to elaborate?"

The large man let out a weary sigh, his wavy brown hair covering his eyes. "I remember that Patros guy mentioned that he would get into a lot of trouble if someone stole that Devil Fruit from him, almost like it was his mission to deliver it to someone else."

Ichigo diverted his attention away from steering the boat. "Just wait a minute… I thought that skinny dude was the captain of the Bullshit Pirates."

"You mean the Raging Bull Pirates." Rukia automatically corrected him.

"I heard what I said." He answered with a grimace before addressing his other crewmate. "So what were you saying about that Devil Fruit I ate?"

Chad looked out over the horizon for a moment as if he were lost in his own thoughts, answering once he was finished. "The fact that he was afraid of someone else means that our enemy either had an employer who wanted that Devil Fruit. Either that, or they were only a small faction of a much larger crew."

"No matter which was you spin the situation, it's very probably that these people had someone to answer too." Rukia folded her arms and leaned against the railing. She wore a pensive look at first, but it quickly became a frown when she considered the possible ramifications of their actions. "Come to think of it, whoever wanted that Devil Fruit might be looking for revenge once they find out that we took it."

"If we were able to find a sketch of this Devil Fruit, it's possible that someone else knew what they were looking for and wanted it for themselves." Sado added thoughtfully.

"Big deal!" Ichigo placed his hands behind his head and leaned back slightly with a look of indifference. "No one's gonna know that we were the ones who took it we took it, so why should we care?"

His two subordinates let out a collective moan at his lack of thought, although naturally it was Rukia who spoke up first. "Don't be so certain about that." She began tactfully. "If someone wanted this rare Devil Fruit, they are bound to come looking for it. Secondly, we left several of our enemies alive during that raid, meaning that there are now a number of witnesses to what we did."

"You're not seriously worried about that idiot trying to attack us with half his crew gone? Chad tossed one guy in the ocean, and you broke the other guy's head open by lobbing a cannonball over the side of the ship. With any luck, the rest of them became shark food while trapped aboard that sinking boat."

She groaned for the twentieth time that day, even after all these years of being his friend she found it incredible that anyone could be so overconfident. "Again you fail to see all of the possibilities. If the enemy pirates managed to board a lifeboat and paddle to safety, they could tell their employer about what we did."

Ichigo dismissed her claims. "We don't even have any solid proof that you guys are right about them working for someone else."

"Don't be so stubborn as to rule out the possibility." She berated him. Realizing that she wasn't going to win this argument, the raven-haired woman let out an exasperated sigh. "Look! All I'm saying is that we should keep our guard up."

"She's right." The third member of their party agreed completely. "If someone did hire Patros to do their dirty work, than the chances are that a more dangerous enemy could come after us."

The orange-haired captain let this information sink in for a moment, but the end result was not one that they had hoped to achieve. "You know what, we'll never become stronger pirates if we don't fight more powerful enemies… I say bring 'em on!"

Neither of his friends were really startled by this response, but Rukia found herself smiling at his show of motivation. "That actually reminds me of when we used to play pirates as children." She began with a nostalgic expression. "You always used to say you wanted to be the strongest in the world and become King of the Pirates like Gold Roger."

Ichigo smiled back at them, all signs of his usual scowl gone for that one second. He looked up at the clear blue sky and down towards the horizon before speaking again. "Who ever said I gave up that desire?"

This time his crewmates looked surprised, but after a moment they both seemed to accept their leader's moment of seeming insanity as a genuine statement. This time it was Chad who recovered first.

"Looks like you really were serious when you said that they day we set out on this journey." He stated bluntly.

"Yup…" their leader nodded once, his back still turned towards them.

"I think you're just as insane as you were when we were kids." Rukia quipped with an odd expression, although it was clear that she was not bothered by it. "We have a lot of work to do if that's what you want, but you can rely on us to help no matter what!"

Yasutora Sado nodded in agreement. "I always had your back, and I'm not stopping now."

The orange-haired captain was glad for their support and had half expected them to mock his expectations for becoming one of the world's strongest fighters, but he was still grateful that they had been supportive. In return all he wanted was he freedom to do as he wanted and the power to protect his friends. Before he could officially respond to what had been said, a particularly large wave splattered against the side of the boat, causing it to rock violently.

As the crew regained their bearings, Rukia's eye twitched irritably. "You imbecile, watch where you're steering this leaky crate before you kill us all!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Ichigo grumbled, the previous moment now a pleasant memory.

Meanwhile…

Captain Patros limped slightly as he walked along the deck of his ruined ship, his face alive with embarrassment at having let an amateur pirate defeat him. It was complete and utter humiliation to lose to a rookie, but to make matters worse he had lost his most powerful subordinates in the ensuing battle and was now stranded in the middle of nowhere on a heavily damaged vessel.

"Curse you, carrot top!" he screamed towards the sky, beating his fists against the floor.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he turned around expecting to see his own minions but was instead confronted by five Marines. The captain screamed in shock as he stared into the barrels of their rifles, but was even more annoyed by the fact that he hadn't noticed the enemy ship until had pulled alongside his own vessel. The ship was slightly larger than his own and painted a dark blue color with a lighter blue trimming. There were two sets of sails, a smaller set in the front, and a larger set behind it, and all were emblazoned with the insignia of the Marines.

He cursed loudly, only to be shot in the shoulder by one soldier and tackled by two others. "Release me this instant! I haven't done anything!" the pirate captain screamed, too weak from his recent encounter to stop them from placing cuffs around his wrists.

"Shut up…" one of the Marines struck him in the back of the head with the end of a rifle, forcing their prey back to the floor.

Two more Marines wrapped a piece of cloth around the hapless pirate's mouth and tied his legs together with a pair of shackles. The largest member of the group slung him over his shoulder and jumped to the deck of the Marine vessel. Four of the remaining soldiers began searching the ship for signs of anything that they could confiscate on behalf of the government. They also continued looking for any other pirates that needed top be restrained.

Patros seethed angrily at having been defeated by a rookie and captured by the authorities in a single day. In less than a day his career had gone downhill to the point where he was wondering whether or not it would be worth it to struggle against his captors. In his condition it would do him no hood, and to make matters worse, the surviving members of is crew were still unconscious from the beating they had taken earlier.

Looking around, the pirate captain was slightly impressed by the quality of the ships used by the Marines, the pristine woodwork and untarnished exterior decorated with intricate carvings. It was undoubtedly clean in comparison to his own ship, even before the latter was damaged during the recent battle. The door leading into the cabins cracked open, revealing a large figure who easily towered over the men that were assembled on deck.

"Marines… assemble!" one of the soldiers screamed, causing several men to stop what they were going and join the commotion.

About two dozen or so Marines separated into two lines on either side of the door and sprung into a hasty salute in the wake of their commanding officer. Patros was tossed onto the floor and held down by the soldier who had dragged him aboard the ship. The large man placed a foot on his back and saluted his commanding officer.

The commander of the ship was at east eight feet tall and very bulky, his large muscles visible even under his clothing. He had black hair, a large face, wide forehead, thick lips, a giant nose, round beady eyes, no eyebrows, and a thick hexagonal jaw. His outfit consisted of a white cap with the word "Marine" written on it, a necklace of large beads, a brown t-shirt, blue Marine pants, and a white Marine coat draped over his shoulders with the kanji for "Justice" on the back.

"At ease!" he shouted, causing his subordinates to return to their duties. The handful of soldiers that remained before him pulled their prisoner into a standing position. The officer eyed him before addressing the others. "Who is this scum you dragged on board my ship?"

The man who had done the deed saluted quickly. "You have my apologies, Lieutenant Ikkanzaka. This man is Captain Patros of the Raging Bull Pirates a man with a Bounty of twenty million berries. It was his ship that you ordered us to attack."

His commanding officer looked over at the enemy ship. "Looks like you boys did a pretty nasty job on that wooden eyesore."

"Negative, sir!" the Marine corrected him. "When we arrived, the ship was already beginning to sink, and most of the crew were dead or beaten within inches of their lives. We currently have no idea who did this to them, but our boarding party is currently searching the vessel as we speak."

"In the meantime, perhaps it would be best if I heard from someone who was there!" his superior turning on their guest with an evil smile. "All right pirate, you're going to tell me what happened to your ship and who did it!"

Reaching down, the eight-foot tall man lifted up his prey and tore the cloth away from his prisoner's mouth so that he speak again. Patros was too humiliated to answer and instead turned his head away defiantly while choosing not to speak. The gesture only seemed to anger his captor even more, prompting him to tighten his grip around the prisoner's neck.

"How dare you refuse to answer me!" the officer screamed, his beady eyes bulging slightly in fury. "Do you know who I am? I am Lieutenant Ikkanzaka Jirobo of Marine Headquarters, and you an insignificant sea rat! How dare you have the nerve to defy me!"

Several other soldiers scattered at the sound of their leader's rage, as the lieutenant was known for his volatile temper and violent actions, even when dealing with his own men. The gigantic Marine heaved his prisoner into the air with one arm and began smashing to repeatedly smash his face into the floor of the galley. He repeated this process several times until drops of blood began to decorate drip onto the floor, before dropped the prone man at his feet.

"Damn you all to Hell!" Patros retaliated, as he was merciless trod upon.

The beating stopped as Ikkanzaka bent over, forcing the other man into a kneeling position so that they were making eye contact. "When I ask you a question, I expect it to be answered! You will tell me who laid waste to your crew, or we can tier you to an anchor and let the Sea King's clean up the mess."

"You wouldn't dare!" the pirate blurt out, looking horrified by his captor's smile.

"The government gives me the right to do as I please in the name of justice, so if you must die for me to carry out my duties, then so be it." Jirobo answered. "No one, especially the World Government, will miss a lowly piece of trash like you."

Patros paled considerably at the thought, and quickly realized the benefits that came with being taken prisoner by the authorities. The pirate captain knew that his master would never forgive failure, and that whatever would happen was bound to be much worse than anything he would face in a Marine prison. "All right… I'll explain everything!"

The Marine officer stepped away from him and allowed his victim to recover his strength. "Be quick about it, or else I might change my mind and kill you anyway."

"My crew and I attacked a small fishing boat that was passing through this quadrant earlier this morning. It turned out that the people on board were a trio of young pirates, so we were prepared to kill them and take whatever treasure they had."

"Just wait a minute!" Jirobo interrupted his explanation with a look of fascination, his eyes boring into the other man like drills. "You lying scum! Do you seriously expect me to believe that a pirate with a bounty of twenty million berries and a big crew was defeated by three obnoxious kids?"

Patros tried to squirm away, looking terrified as the larger man stomped towards him. "I'm not lying! The incident was humiliating enough as it was, and I have nothing to gain by telling the truth but more shame!"

Jirobo came inches from stomping on his prey but stopped for a moment to reconsider the situation. "Hmmm… Perhaps you are telling the truth." He mused with a look of pronounced interest. "These three brats must've been top-notch rookies to have taken on a much larger crew so easily."

"Th-They w-were strong… and… … and fearless too!" the imprisoned pirate stuttered, his face growing even paler as he succumbed to the pain of the wound that Ichigo had dealt him. "Their leader had eyes like fire, and they fought like monsters."

"What did these pirates look like? Where did they go?" the eight-foot tall man pushed for answers.

The pirate leader swallowed the lump that had begun to form in his throat. "There was a big guy with dark skin and some tiny girl with black hair. The captain had bright orange hair and carried a giant cleaver-looking sword that was almost as long as his body." He paused to consider the second question. "I don't know where they went…"

The Marine hardly seemed amused by the second half of his answer and responded violently. Seizing his prey by the back of his shirt, Jirobo carried him over to the edge of the ship and pushed him over the side, letting his helpless form dangle. The pirate let out a frightened squeal as he realized what was about to happen, but the larger man seemed to find the situation even more humorous. There were times when the keepers of justice could be just as awful as pirates, and it was obvious from this sickening display that Jirobo was rather enjoying himself.

"If you can't be of any more use to me, I see no reason to let you live!" the Marine officer threatened him with a gleeful smile. "Have any last words before you become chum!"

"Wait!" Patros shouted, his pounding so loudly that he could hear it. "I remember their ship was badly damaged by my attack! They would have to stop and make repairs at the nearest island!"

He turned his victim around and smiled. "Very good… Good to see a pirate cooperating with justice instead of obstructing it for a change. Now at least you can die knowing that you did the right thing."

Patros closed his eyes and squealed at the thought of what was about to happen, but the sound of footsteps caught the attention of both men. Jirobo looked behind himself and noticed that his crew's boarding party had returned empty handed. Distracted by the entrance of so many new witnesses, he dropped the prisoner back onto the deck and kicked him a few times in the shin with excessive force.

"Why did you lowly maggots come back empty handed?" the Marine officer interrogated them.

His line of seamen recruits seemed to shirk back in fear of their leader, leaving one man standing apart from the others. "Lieutenant Ikkanzaka, sir!" the man sprung into a hasty salute. "Our apologies in coming back empty handed, but it would appear that whoever attacked the Raging Bull Pirates also stole all of the treasure and supplies on board the ship."

The gigantic man stroked his chin thoughtfully, an amused smile appearing on his thick lips. "Whoever these kids were, they must be an interesting group. Perhaps there's someone in South Blue who may be worth my effort after all." He mused to himself.

"What was that, sir." One of the soldiers asked him.

Jirobo ignored the question. "That is none of your concern! I want you to rally the rest of the crew and have us set a course for Baterilla Island immediately!"

"Shouldn't we return to the Grand Line and check in with Marine Headquarters?"

"Who is the commander here? Perhaps I should remind you!" the Marine officer bellowed, causing one of his subordinates to faint on the spot.

His fellow soldiers saluted hastily. "Yes sir, no sir!" they chanted together, sounding as if they had practiced this response over a thousand times.

The group ran off, but a single Marine brave enough to remain decided to voice his questions. "Lieutenant Ikkanzaka, what would you like us to do with Patros and the remainder of his crew onboard his ship?"

Jirobo glanced down at the pirate's unconscious body and then at the smoldering remains of his ship. "The other pirates still seem to be unconscious… I say dump this slime in the prison hold and sink that floating piece of crap crew and all."

Several more soldiers dragged Patros away while the others manned the cannons. Several blasts bombarded the pirate vessel, smashing the structure until it was barely recognizable as being a boat. The wood splintered and cracked until water filled the inside, causing it to sink beneath the waves of the sea. Once only a few pieces of driftwood remained, Jirobo ascended the stairs leading to the helm and settled himself into the plush, throne-like chair on the stern of the ship.

"Navigator, set sail for Baterilla Island!" he ordered, his expression darkening considerably. "It looks like we've got some new targets! Hehehe…"

Meanwhile…

Rukia sat in the crow's nest with a spyglass, silently watching the horizon for any sign of land. At this point the only thing keeping their old fishing boat together were Chad's shoddy repair jobs and a few boards that he nailed to the holes that their enemies had punched in the hull, so it was natural that she was concerned about it. She was also concerned about Ichigo, seeing how he would likely drown if something happened to their boat. At times like this, she really wondered how she had remained friends with such hardheaded fools for so long.

These angry thoughts drifted from her mind as she caught sight of a small shape in the distance, and suddenly things didn't seem so bad. According to the map in her lap and the compass around her neck, they were so close to the next island. Having seen nothing but ocean for several weeks since the start of their journey, she was more than a little excited by the prospect of getting off the boat and back on dry land.

Grabbing onto a greased rope, she slide down to the deck and landed beside Chad, the latter of whom was steering the boat. "Hey Sado, I can see Baterilla due East of here. Keep sailing in that directly and we should be there in less than an hour."

"All right…" the dark-skinned man gave the wheel a gentle turn to adjust the angle. "Maybe you should tell Ichigo too?"

Rukia glanced around the exterior of the ship, just now realizing that their so-called leader was nowhere in sight. "Speaking of which, where did that idiot run off to, now?"

"He said something to me about having something to do below deck and told me to act as the helmsman for a while, at least until he returns."

She walked across the deck and entered the captain's cabin, only to find that he wasn't napping like usual. Seeing that her first idea was a bust, Rukia moved her search to the lower decks and heard some faint noises coming from the hold. Poked her head into the small room they had set aside for weapons, she found their leader sitting on top of a crate of ammunition, quietly polishing his sword with an old rag. The petite woman slid into the room and cleared her throat.

"Oh, hey Rukia." Ichigo greeted her with a casual wave, quietly glancing at her through the dingy lighting. "I just finished organizing the treasure and rationing our food and supplies. Do you need something?"

"I just came down here to tell you that we should be docking on the next island in roughly forty-five minutes."

"Yeah, that sound good." He answered curtly, earning a pensive expression from her friend.

Rukia paused a moment to get a better look at him. She knew he wasn't the type to enjoy menial labor and guessed that he thinking about something. "So, something on your mind?" she tried to make her words sound as casual as possible.

He shrugged and continued admiring the curve of his weapon. "I'm fine…."

"C'mon Ichigo, I've been hanging around you for years now." She began with a knowing expression, her eyebrow rising slightly. "Are you still thinking about that crazy goal of becoming Pirate King?"

He sighed in response to her question. "Nah, there's no pressure there. The fact that we're out here means I'm already trying."

The petite girl sat on the floor beside him and positioned her knees closer to her body. "All right, so what are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing…" he replied, his hands subconsciously moving towards the golden talisman around his neck.

Rukia remembered hearing several times that his mother had given him that necklace. The story behind it was nothing special, as it had been a gift, but she could tell he was thinking about his family again. After a minute of silence, he noticed that his first mate was staring at the charm and quickly tucked it away into his shirt to hide it from view. The female pirate suspected that her friend was also trying to hide his thoughts by pushing the heirloom out of view, but she had always been able to read him like a book.

After a several more minutes of sitting in silence, the orange-haired captain grew tired of sitting around. Standing up from his spot, he strapped the large cleaver to his back, this action causing his normal demeanor to return almost instantly. She was glad to see that he was back to normal and watched with the tiniest of smiles as he left the room and headed back to the main deck.

"He can tell me when he's ready…" Rukia muttered to herself before following his example, making certain to pick up the rag and polish that he left behind. She rolled her eyes once and pocketed them before leaving the room. "Fool can't clean up his own messes."

Once they were back in the open air, Ichigo stretched out his arms and groaned, taking a minute to take in the salty ocean air. She followed him back to the helm where the third member of their group was still driving the boat, only now the trio was focused on the landmass rapidly growing larger in the distance.

"As a pirate I like the sea, but it might be nice to stand on solid ground again." The captain pondered out loud.

Rukia reached into her vest, pulling out her spyglass and directing it towards their destination. With the enhanced focus she could clearly see several details of the island. It was a green paradise and there were several palm trees littering the beach, giving it a tropical appearance. A quaint little village could be seen near the main port, and even now they wee already within view of the lighthouse.

"Maybe we should take down the Jolly Roger." Rukia commented sagely. "We haven't attracted attention from the Marines yet, so maybe the three of us should take advantage of this for a while and not do anything to upset the townspeople."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Ichigo replied with a small shrug before addressing the other two. "All right… Chad, bring us into port. Rukia, take down the flag."

As they carried out their tasks without any problems, Ichigo noticed that his friend had left her telescope behind. He took a look through it and observed the peaceful little island for a moment before realizing that he had heard the name before. It was rumored that the Pirate King has visited this place over two decades ago, and this new piece of knowledge made the captain even more interested to see it for himself.

"A new place to explore…" Ichigo commented to himself, noting that he had never left his home island until two weeks ago. "Well, it looks like our adventure is really about to begin!"

Note to Readers: Did anyone recognize the Marine boss as the Fourth Seat Officer that Ishida humiliated during the Soul Society arc? He's fairly close to the original Bleach character in this story in terms of personality, stature, and arrogance.

I've been trying to make Ichigo's disposition different than Luffy's despite them sharing the same dream in this story. After all, I don't want this to be a version of One Piece using Bleach characters, but rather trying to portray the Bleach characters as they might be if born into the One Piece world. Ichigo is less impulsive than Luffy and is willing to think things through a bit more, although he's still bull-headed like in Bleach. I also added plenty of Bleach references to this chapter with Ichigo's mother and his deep bond with Rukia emphasized.

Ichigo's Devil Fruit is similar to his hollow form, but don't think that makes him powerful yet. He still hasn't learned how to control the transformation properly, doesn't know about any special abilities it might have, and also hasn't had any experience fighting in that form yet. This will be developed over the course of the story as he learned more about it, but right now he's still pretty weak.

Sorry for any typos or spelling and grammar errors, but I typically write this story late at night. Please review if you enjoyed this story in any capacity. I need some support to continue writing something like this. To me this story is a big experiment, and I welcome ideas! If you liked anything, please tell me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Surprises on Baterilla **

Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own the rights to Bleach or One Piece. This story is made solely for fun, not profit.

Somewhere in South Blue…

As they sailed along the coast of the town, the trio of rookies kept an eye out for a place to drop anchor. They had been on edge since the battle with Patros and his flunkies several hours ago, but the island's natural beauty and its quaint little village was quite a sight, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. The serene atmosphere of the island was a welcome change after everything that had happened. Perhaps this was a fitting reward for their recent victory.

Rukia exhaled deeply, a feeling of peace filling her body as she let her troubles slip away. She closed her eyes and let the find run through her hair, the short black locks swaying in the afternoon breeze. Since they had removed the Jolly Roger and were riding around in a tiny fishing boat, there was no need to worry about the townspeople panicking, and the chances that Patros would find them were also pretty slim. Rukia was usually the most high-strung of her group, yet even she had to admit that they had done pretty well for themselves.

Ichigo looked out at the coastline, the stressful feeling in his shoulders slowly fading away. He wore his usual scowl, but was actually quite content at the moment. Realizing that they had come here for a reason, he decided that attending business was more important than lounging around on the deck and admiring their destination.

"So Rukia, what's on the agenda?" he questioned in a flat tone.

The girl sitting beside him pointed down at the ship. "Well we should probably find a shipyard to dock for the evening, and then explore the town a but. We really need to see if anyone can help us fix the holes that Patros and his goons left in the hull."

Chad pointed to the coastline. "Speaking of which, I think there's a shipyard nearby."

Their captain took a peak with the spyglass, his eyes settling on a group of ships stationed around a series of docks. "Looks like you might be right." He put down his instrument and gestured in the general direction of their destination. "All right guys… Bring her in and drop the anchor!"

As usual the trio worked quickly and efficiently with Ichigo taking the helm and his two friends making the preparations. Once the sails were properly positioned and the ship was moving in the right direction, Yasutora Sado ran over to inspect the winch near the starboard side before loosening the chains holding the anchor in place.

Rukia rested her elbow against the railing and watched her friends finish the preparations for a few seconds before growing bored with the proceedings. She sat on the floor of the main deck and cracked open the guidebook she had referenced earlier, deciding that she would rather get some reading done. Sailing had become part of their daily routine, but it was always nice to take a break, and it was clear that they didn't need her help at the moment.

With a simple spin of the wheel and some careful planning, Ichigo maneuvered the meager vessel into a small space between two much larger ships. Once the craft had settled into place and was quietly pitching in the waves, Chad finished the process by pulling the lever on the side of the winch. The anchor to drop into the sea with a loud splash, effectively securing their vessel from floating away in the tides.

"Looks like we have to pay a fee." The dark-skinned man's eyes gravitated towards a sign near the dock.

"I guess we should have expected that." Ichigo sat down on a chair on the deck and sighed with a sense of indifference. "Oh well, with all that money we stole from those bastards, we should have more than enough to pay the bills."

Chad nodded in agreement. "The sign said we have to negotiate the price with the owner."

"What a pain in the ass." Ichigo snapped, turning his head away and closing his eyes. He took a moment to think about their situation and sighed. "Hey Rukia, go take care of this."

The girl sitting a few feet away looked up from her book. Although she didn't look happy about being disturbed, she decided that picking another fight would ruin their good fortune. "I might as well, considering you two would probably mess up while negotiating a fair price, anyway."

Ichigo's left eye twitched with irritation, although his voice remained as calm as ever. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

"You do that…" Rukia replied as she placed the guide under her arm and entered the cabin.

While her friends continued their conversation above deck, the first mate walked into the small room that they were forced to share. She once again realized how tiny it was, but they usually took turns sleeping in the bed, and since one of them usually stood guard each night, it was usually no problem. Of course that didn't completely solve the problem, but since it was a small vessel they really didn't expect much.

Rukia placed her book on the shelf and shuffled over to a small chest at the door of the bed. It was locked, but she always kept the key in her pocket, and quickly undid the lock. Once the box has sprung open, she rummaged through the contents in a hurried manner, quickly tossing aside a few knickknacks and a pair of boxer shorts belonging to her captain, neatly laying a couple of her own outfits on the bed to prevent them from getting dirty.

Sitting at the bottom was a sack of coins they had taken earlier that day. She had left this particular sum upstairs in case they wanted to do any immediate spending, guessing that now was probably the perfect time to use it. The small bag in the trunk was nothing compared to the vast amount of gold they had stashed down the hall, and it was all thanks to the incompetence of their enemy. Once she was finished, the small woman returned the rest of their belongings to their proper place and returned to the main deck carrying the money.

Chad approached his friend. "Hey Rukia, what's in the bag?"

"Just some money that I took from this morning's heist." She jingled coins with a pirate's sense of pride, giving the tiny sack a gentle toss and catching it in her opposite hand. "We still have to pay a fee to legally use this dock, and the last thing we need is to grab the attention of the local police for something small like this."

"Okay…" The dark giant nodded politely before returning to his work.

She wasn't particularly insulted by his response, seeing how Chad was typically a man of few words. He only spoke if he had something important to contribute, but just because he wasn't a big conversationalist, that didn't mean he didn't like being around his friends. Yasutora Sado was the kind of warrior who would lay down his life for his crewmates, and they couldn't have asked for better friend.

Rukia groaned as she realized that their so-called leader was still napping while his crew was working, but decided not worry about that later. Bracing a hand on the railing, she sprung into the air, landing gracefully on the dock.

"I'll be back in about twenty minutes." She called up at them.

Before she could say anything else, Ichigo poked his head over the side of the railing. "Hold up, I'm coming along with you."

He sat his behind against the edge and scooted off of the side of the ship, crashing down beside his friend with a much less impressive landing. The wooden dock shook slightly beneath their feet as the captain straightened up and dusted off his clothing.

"Any particular reason why you want to tag along on this mission?" She looked over at him.

Ichigo cracked his knuckles before speaking. "We've been cooped up for a while now. I was hoping to do some exploring while we're on this island." He tried to walk away, but his first mate grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Oh no, you don't!" she spun him around and wagged a finger in his face like an angry mother.

"Damn you… What is it now?" he shot back challengingly.

She rolled her eyes in his direction. "The last thing we need right now is you getting lost in a strange place, especially with everything that's been going on. We can look around later, but right now we have more important work to do, like getting more supplies and renting out a spot."

He opened his mouth to argue, but realized that she was probably correct. Of course he did his best not to think about it, because it would probably kill him on the inside to admit it. Once she was certain he wasn't going to retaliate, the petite girl turned her back on him and began exploring the docks, her ill-tempered captain following behind with a sour expression.

Meanwhile…

Several miles away from the peaceful island, Ikkanzaka Jirobo and his crew of Marines continued their sail towards Baterilla. Although they were already several hours behind their target, the unfortunate group had also run afoul of a whirlpool at one point and had accidentally turned in the opposite direction. By the time they realized this, they had fallen even further behind and were forced to change direction again.

The large Marine officer sat in the office of his vessel, looking extremely displeased with the way things had turned out for them. It was a large cabin with a desk and chair stationed towards the wall, a pair of plaques hung from the walls with the word "Marine" emblazoned on the front in large blue letters, and a large porthole gave the room's occupant a nice view of the ocean.

Leaning against his hand with an elbow propped up on his desk, the lieutenant was growing continually more impatient by the second when the door to his cabin opened, revealing several of his subordinates. They filed into the room and sprung into a collective salute before addressing their superior.

"Lieutenant, we just finished the interrogation!" one of the men announced.

"Have you been able to extract any more information from the prisoner?" Ikkanzaka Jirobo questioned one of his soldiers.

The Marine saluted. "No sir, it really seems as though he knows nothing else of this mystery pirate who defeated him."

"Imbecile!" the lieutenant-level officer backhanded his subordinate with full force, sending him to the ground with minimal effort. "I've grown tired of dealing with this incompetence day in and day out. Those rookies obtained millions of berries after robbing Patros, so if we find and arrest them, the rewards will be monumental!"

The soldier backed away carefully. "We did however learn that the rookies stole a Devil Fruit from the Raging Bull Pirates after slaughtering most of the crew. He was tight-lipped about revealing more, but after torturing him constantly for a few hours, Patros revealed that it was a Mythical Zoan."

Jirobo's eyes widened in shock, although after a moment they became filled with a greedy, pig-like hunger. "To think that its possible that such a rare power could be found out here in this barren corner of backwater ocean." He mused. "If we capture those kids, maybe I could take this Devil Fruit and consume it for myself!"

"But sir, what about he possibility that one of them could have eaten it."

"Most people outside of the Grand Line are not aware of the existence of the Devil Fruits." The lieutenant responded carefully. "They may yet be unaware of its nature, which could give us the time we need to catch them and repossess everything those pirates have."

Although he thought about snapping his subordinate in half, the high-ranking Marine was quickly distracted by the presence of another soldier. The second man was holding a Den Den Mushi with a Marine symbol on the side and a telephone piece attached to the shell by a spiral cord. Knowing that the creature was used only for important calls, the Marine officer decided to hold his temper in for the moment.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but you have a call from the higher-ups at headquarters."

"Gimme that!" Jirobo shouted, looking irritated that he had been interrupted yet again. He picked up the telephone piece and spoke into it. "This lieutenant Ikkanzaka of Marine Headquarters. To whom am I speaking?"

"It's been a while since I've heard your incessant screams, although this is hardly the time for such frivolities." A smooth, dark tone answered from the other side of the line. "I sincerely hope you have a good excuse for not reporting in at the scheduled time."

The normally violent man turned pale as he recognized the voice on the other end of the receiver. "Captain Tosen!" he replied with a grumpy expression. "There's no need to worry, I have the situation completely under control."

"If you have the situation taken care of, then you need not remain in South Blue for much longer. Lieutenant Commander Brandnew has ordered that you return to the Grand Line to receive your next assignment." The superior officer replied through the transponder snail's lips.

"My crew and I are currently looking into the case of a trio of rookies who defeated the Raging Bull Pirates single-handedly." Jirobo rationalized careful. "It's best that we knock these pests out of the game before they become a major threat to the world."

"It is not your place to decide what justice is and how to enact. As usual your lack of proper conduct continues to stupefy me…" Tosen replied in his cool demeanor.

"Can't hear you… You're breaking up." Jirobo spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Your insolence will only result in a court martial. I do not think it wise to continue."

Tightening his grip on the phone, the lieutenant used his mammoth fingers to smash the handle with a well-placed squeeze. He tore the cord from the Marine communicator and tossed the snail into the seas, ignoring the fact that the water's salinity would soon kill the poor creature. Several soldiers stepped away from their leader as he stood to his full height, towering over them in an intimidating display.

"Sir!" one of the men spoke up hesitantly. "The orders from Marine Headquarters are to return to the Grand Line immediately. Maybe we should…"

Jirobo's hand came down and snapped the man's neck with a twist of his fingers, his anger shifting to the other Marines assembled in his office. "What are you fools standing around for? Continue on the designated course, and do not stop for any reason!"

"Sir, yes sir!" they shouted as a unit before dashing from the cabin in fear.

The giant lieutenant rubbed his large hands together hungrily, musing out loud. "If only I could get that rare Devil Fruit for myself, this whole trip might be worth the trouble after all. Who knows, with enough power I could boost my rank a few spots, and then that bastard Tosen would be the one taking orders from me!"

Meanwhile…

Looking around at the port, she was grateful to see that the place was relatively busy. Sailors, merchants, and dockworkers were all seen going about their daily business, completing their jobs and talking amongst each other. A middle-aged man wearing overalls addressed her as they walked past each other. He was roughly Ichigo's height and had a large tuna slung over his shoulder.

"Well good afternoon." He greeted the duo casually.

"Good afternoon…" Rukia answered in a soft, pleasant tone that she used to talk to strangers.

Her tone caused Ichigo to cringe in annoyance. "Here we go again." He muttered inaudibly.

"Is there something wrong with your friend, miss?" the stranger asked concernedly.

"Don't worry, he's just fine!" she slapped her captain on the shoulder, earning a small grunt.

Rukia had a distinguished voice, but sometimes hid it when speaking to bystanders. The lighter more innocent tones she synthesized usually gave Ichigo the creeps, although she secretly enjoyed watching him freak out. A small smile played on her lips as she remembered the first time she did this in front of him, but the sound of the stranger's voice quickly brought her focus back to the present.

The petite woman scratched the back of her head nervously. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I was saying that I saw your ship, and it looks like it seems to be in pretty rough shape." The man commented, his eyes moving back towards the craft. "Forgive me for being so bold, but I saw the shoddy repair job and was curious."

The two pirates glanced at each other warily as if wondering how to respond to the question. Ichigo had been smart enough to leave his sword behind to avoid unwanted attention, although they were both wondering if this complete stranger had figured out that they were pirates.

"In all my years in the business, my craft never got as banged up as that poor devil over there." You and your friend are fisherman too, right?"

"Uh, yeah…" Rukia lied a little too quickly, not wanting to reveal the truth.

The fisherman noticed her odd expression and shrugged. "Didn't mean no offense, I was just making an observation." He added hastily before holding out one of the large fish he was carrying. "Well now that that's been said, I'd be willing to sell you part of my prized catch for half price. What do ya think?"

Ichigo sighed in relief and chose to turn a blind ear to the conversation for now. The fisherman gave Rukia his pitch, but she courteously refused his offer. Since Ichigo was sure that they hadn't been exposed yet, and had quickly become uninterested what was going on and chose to ignore it. They prepared to continue on their way, but his first mate thought of something interesting and placed a hand out in front of her captain to stop him. Realizing that the old fisherman could be of some help,

Rukia swerved around tucked on the man's sleeve to catch his attention before he could leave. "Um… pardon me. Could you please tell me with whom I should speak with to rent a spot for my boat?" she explained quickly.

"See that building over there?" the man pointed to a small two-story structure, earning him a nod. "Just head on yonder and look for a lady named Retsu. She's the owner of this place, so if you wanna leave the boat here, you'll have to negotiate with her."

"Thank you very much." Rukia bowed politely before turning around and running towards her destination with Ichigo in tow.

The middle-aged fisherman shrugged and continued on his way. "Funny pair of kids…" he pondered with a shrug before heaving his cargo over his shoulder and leaving the site.

After a minute or so, the two pirates arrived outside of the building. Basically it looked very similar to normal white house, although the rickety wooden sign on the door bore the words "manager" making it clear that the person she was looking for was nearby. Rukia sidled up to the door and knocked a few times. They waited a few seconds for the sound of footsteps, which were closely followed by the creak of the door.

The woman standing with her hand against the frame was taller than Rukia but noticeably shorter than Ichigo in terms of height. She had kind blue eyes and black hair that was surprisingly tied into a large braid running down the front of her body instead of the back. Overall she had a slender, youthful appearance, and wore a simple loose-fitting light-blue kimono with white floral prints and a pair of elegant sandals.

Rukia forced a smile before speaking. "My friend and I are looking for someone named Retsu."

"That would be me." The manager replied, her eyes instantly moving to the sack of money in the female pirate's hand. "Would I be correct to assume you need a place to keep a boat?"

"Why else would we be in this dump?" Ichigo glanced around with a note of impatience.

Rukia stomped on his foot as discreetly as she could before turning back to their host. "My friend and I do not intend on staying here for very long. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, we would really appreciate the courtesy."

The orange-haired captain bit back the pain in his foot. "We've got cash, and some pretty good treasure if you don't want the bills and coins."

Their host glanced between her two guests as if she were sizing them up, but after a moment or two, she smiled and opened the door. "All right then, perhaps we can negotiate the terms inside. Will you be willing to join me for some afternoon tea?"

Ichigo tried to scoot away. "No thanks. We really have better things to do, and I would…"

His crewmate elbowed him in the gut to silence him. "We would be happy to." The young girl piped up suddenly.

Their host kindly welcomed Rukia and her captain into the small two-house, gently shooing them through the door with a kind-hearted smile. Ichigo wore a sour expression, but his partner remained impassive as they entered the building. The room they had stepped into was relatively small, containing a coffee table with comfy armchair on one side and a large sofa on the other. There were small shelves covered in knickknacks, and a large vase containing an elaborate arrangement of flowers.

Retsu sat in her own seat on the larger chair before gesturing towards the couch. "Please, have a seat and feel free to make yourselves at home."

The two crewmates picked their places on the couch and sat down, with Ichigo swinging his arm over the side and lounging about while the female pirate sat to his right in a more reserved stance. Her captain took up more space due to his larger frame and bodily position, his back resting against the sofa like he owned it. Rukia placed her feet on the ground and pressed her legs together, leaning forward and resting her hands against her lap in a relaxed manner.

"Didn't you say there would be tea?" the orange-haired man stated bluntly, earning himself a disapproving look from his friend.

The woman sitting across from them saw the quiet exchange between her guests, although she only smiled to herself, choosing not to acknowledge their lack of manners. "Ahem…" she said to gain their attention. "I believe you wanted to talk to me about renting a space by the docks?"

"Yes… My name it Rukia and this is my friend Ichigo." The younger woman began politely. "Assuming you don't have any problems with the dock, my friend and I would really appreciate it if you would allow us a spot. We're willing to pay any price so long as it's within reason."

"It's a pretty small ship so we shouldn't take up much room, and our crew doesn't plan on staying for more than a few days if things go the way we hope." Her captain added, exhaling a noticeable sigh as he remembered their circumstances. "Just in case, we'd be willing to pay a week in advance."

"Could you two please excuse me for one moment." Their host paused for a moment, glancing at the door to her right. When no one entered, she rang the bell sitting on her table. "We have some potential customers, are you almost done preparing the tea and snacks, dear?"

"O-Of course, Unohana-san! I'll be done in just a moment." A high-pitched nervous tone echoed from the other side of the wall.

The room's occupants waited for a moment before the door creaked open, revealing the form of a young woman. She was dressed in a purple kimono with a pattern of yellow flowers, and had her long orange hair tied back to keep it out of her face. The girl was quite attractive with her flawless skin, beautiful brown eyes, and large breasts. Despite the fact that many men would probably drool in her presence, she wore an innocent smile and gave off a calm if not somewhat quirky, childlike aura.

She carried a large tray containing an elaborate tea set, a plate of rice crackers, and a bowl of sugar. With a cry of surprise, she almost tripped on a section of rolled up carpet but managed to catch herself mid-fall. The orange-haired girl righted herself and shifted the tray around so that it's contents slid back to the proper position, looking embarrassed by what could have easily resulted in a messy accident.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" she placed the tray on the table and smiled at the guests.

"That will be all, Inoue." Unohana Retsu waved her hand, dismissing the young girl. "Could you please attend to the kitchen while I speak with our guests."

The girl nodded compliantly at her employer before turning around to leave the room. She already felt nervous after almost spilling tea on potential customers, and had taken Unohana's assigned duties as an opportunity to leave the room. As Orihime spun on her heal and prepared to go, she felt her eyes gravitating towards the orange-haired boy sitting on the couch. Even though he wore a recognizable scowl, the girl could feel herself blushing as she took in his appearance.

"Hey you!" he called out with an irritable expression, causing her to freeze up as she felt his ironclad gaze. "Is there something on my face, or are you just frozen in that position?"

"Nah, I was just thinking about some yummy bean paste and cheese sandwiches I made earlier today." She chimed in happily. Orihime waved nervously before bumping headfirst into the kitchen door, causing her to stumble backwards from the impact.

"Oh dear, are you all right?" Unohana turned her head towards the flustered girl.

Rukia craned her neck to see. "You really should be more careful where you're going."

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm just fine!" The orange-haired girl smiled brightly, tapping her fist against her head a few times in emphasis. "Don't worry about me, I've got a thick skull!"

With a small giggle, she turned the knob and slid into the kitchen, making certain to close the door behind her. The room's occupants watched her leave with look of interest before settling down again, the two guests looking puzzled by her awkward behavior and strange taste in foods. Although Rukia was tactful enough not to voice these thoughts out loud, her partner had a habit of acting impolitely. He often lacked simple discretions, and quickly dove into any given issue.

"Sheesh, she seemed a little bit off kilter for someone was just supposed to drop off a tea tray and leave." Ichigo commented with a shrug. "Care to explain who that girl was?"

"That's none of our business… You could try being a little more respectful." Rukia scolded.

"No, that's quite all right. Allow me to explain." Their host waved aside the conflict, her gaze drifting off to the window for a moment before explaining. "The girl's name is Inoue Orihime, and she's been my acting assistant for the last ten years of her life. She's decidedly quirky and more than a little bit clumsy, but I could never have asked for a better student."

Now that the topic had been raised, Rukia quickly seized it. "I noticed that you mentioned that she was your assistant, but also your student. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Orihime went through some rough situations when she was a child, although it isn't my place to specify exactly what." Unohana spoke in her perpetually calm tone of voice, although even for a moment she looked a little bit uncomfortable. "Once her older brother died, the poor child was left orphaned in the streets. She was only eight years old when I took her in, but the girl showed strength and spirit beyond her years, and since then she helps me in any way she can."

"Wait, you still didn't tall us why you said she was your student?" the female pirate added.

The woman sitting across from them smiled. "The dear child took a keen interest in medicine at one point, so I took her on as my student and agreed to teach her how to be a doctor."

"Just wait a minute! Something doesn't sound right!" Ichigo suddenly interrupted. "I thought you were a boat rental clerk, and now you're claiming to be a doctor?"

Unohana only smiled at his comment. "It's true that I run this business now, but in my younger days I was quite the remarkable physician." She paused for a moment and decided that now was a good time to go back to their original topic. "In any case, perhaps we should address the issue of your payment for a night at the docks."

The female pirate looked relieved that someone had brought it back up. "If truth be told, our ship is in need of repairs right now. We need to see a professional, and it might take some time to fix the holes in the lower levels." She paused to consider this before speaking again. "Say for a second that we were willing to pay for an entire week in advance, whether or not we actually stick around that long."

"That would be fine with me. Since you want to pay in advance and seem like a nice band of kids, I'm willing to give you a small discount." The older woman seemed quite pleased by their offer. "I would normally charge around two-thousand per night, but what do you folks say to a nice round price of ten thousand berries for the week?"

"Your offer sounds about right." Rukia replied with a friendly nod, her gaze shifting to her so-called superior. Realizing that he was staring off out the window again, she poked him in the shoulder. "What do you think, Ichigo?"

The orange-haired pirate glanced back at her with a confused expression. "Yeah, whatever…" he shrugged off her question with a note of indifference. "So long as you have enough coins in that sack, I don't see a reason to complain."

Unless directly provoked, her leader was very easy to get along with. Of course this quality often made him neglectful and callous to the daily proceedings that came with running a pirate ship, which occasionally made his crew question whether or not it had been a good idea to let him be their captain. At the same time he was also stubborn and hardheaded when he actually got off his butt and did his job. His strange combination of personality traits kept them on their toes.

She sighed at his response, or lack thereof, and counted the coins in her bag before pocketing a few and handing the rest over to their host. "Here's the ten thousand we owe you, and there's a little extra since you were kind enough to give us the discount." Rukia smiled politely.

Unohana took the bag from her and counted, making certain that they had paid in full before setting aside the gold. She reached under the small table and handed the younger woman a wooden sign with a rope nailed to it. "All you have to do is hang this from the side of your ship so that the dock workers know you paid. Please return it to me before you leave."

"Thank you very much, Unohana-san." Rukia accepted the pass with a small bow of her head.

Before either woman could say anything else, Ichigo stood up and yawned loudly, cracking his knuckles a few times in the process. "Well if there's nothing left for us to do in this place, then I'm gonna go for a walk around the docks." He stood up and walked to the door, signaling his friend to follow. "You coming already?"

His partner stood up to follow him, their host giving them a gentle wave as they headed for the door. "You two seem like good kids, so feel free to stop by again during your stay on Baterilla."

"Maybe if we get the chance." Rukia nodded compliantly as she too stood up to leave.

"That would be very nice of you. Admittedly enough, you children are a welcome change compared to the kind of criminals I've dealt with in this line of business." Unohana's expression shifted slightly at the notion. "It's been quite a while since I've seen such a nice band of pirates."

The pair froze as they heard this last part of her statement, feeling uncomfortable despite the fact that they had their backs turned to her. Ichigo tensed up, his perpetual scowl disappearing as his eyes widened in surprise. Rukia found herself speechless, but she noticed that his previously lax demeanor had vanished, only to be replaced by the same emotions that she was feeling.

Ichigo turned his head only to meet the smile of their host, although he did his best to hide his previous emotions. "I don't recall either of us saying that we were pirates." He began with bated breath, his voice unusually calm and levelheaded. "Where would you have thought of something like that?"

"Well aren't you?" Unohana waved aside his questions with her trademark smile.

"So what if we are?" The orange-haired captain turned to face her, his composure slipping slightly. "What would you do then? Would you call the Marines and have us sent to the gallows?"

Rukia clapped a hand over her leader's mouth. "I think we've more than finished here." She added with a nervous expression before turning back to her captain. "It's probably better off if we head out now anyway."

He responded by shoved her away. "We can leave once I know what her deal is!"

The petite girl grabbed him by the hair and pulled him down, leaned in with an expression that promised him pain if he pushed he again. "You idiot…" she whispered so that only he could hear. "As long as we don't confirm her suspicions, it won't give her any real reason to report us to the authorities."

Unohana let out a pleasant laugh as she watched the scenario, gently setting down her cup on the table. "Please calm down." The older woman waved her hand as if to sweep aside the tension she had made. "I do apologize for scaring you like that, but perhaps it will put your hearts at ease to know that I carry no such prejudice against pirates."

Her guests stepped back from each other, their attention now focused entirely on their host. "I guess that's fine." Ichigo scratched his neck with a deadpan serious look.

"Yeah… If we were pirates that is." His first mate added hastily.

"Please calm yourselves. You need not worry about me calling for help." Unohana began. "The truth is, I could tell that you were pirates from the moment you walked into my house."

Rukia exchanged bewildered glanced with her captain, although she was still a little uncertain of what to say. "Neither of us said anything that would directly imply we were pirates, so what gave you that idea to begin with?

"You could say I have a _sixth sense_ about these types of things. Also, I noticed that you were both mildly wounded, and yet still expressed a powerful desire to return to the seas so soon after reaching land." She deduced carefully. "To me, a pirate is not a thief… True pirates are seafaring treasure hunters with strong bonds and dreams of adventure."

Ichigo spared her a half-smile, something that was rare given his usual demeanor. "If that's what a pirate is, then it looks like you hit the nail on the head." His tension eased slightly, and he felt more comfortable talking to her. "My friends and I had nothing for us back home, so we sailed off together to explore the seas."

"I find your spirit to be quite refreshing." the older woman commented with a small nod. .

"My buddies and I were disliked back home because we did whatever we believed was right." He began with a confident expression. "When we left our homes, I made a vow to become so strong that no one could ever hurt my friends or tell us what to do ever again. The man who deserves the mantle of Pirate King isn't the guy who has the most money, but the guy with the strength and will to grant his nakama a life of freedom!"

"Did you have to admit all of that out loud?" Rukia slapped her forehead with a nervous expression as she turned to face their host. "Since my idiotic captain decided to blurt out all of our secrets, I can only ask that you do not mention we were here."

Unohana seemed to be amused by her statement. "Neither of you need to worry about that. Calling the authorities would be hypocritical of me, considering that I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the world or piracy myself."

The female pirate looked back at her abruptly. "You mean to say?"

"Precisely…" their host replied with the tiniest of nods.

Ichigo couldn't believe what he had head as he realized what she was saying, his partner equally as surprised by this implication. The woman standing across from them hardly seemed like a warrior, and yet she had just implied a past in the career of piracy. The woman stood up from her chair and pushed back the collar of her robe and the large braid, revealing a large red scar close to her neck that had been hidden by the unusual arrangements of her hair.

"I received this wound long ago during one of my many excursions on the high seas." She explained carefully, a nostalgic expression appearing on her lips. "To me if feels like another life altogether, but there was a time long ago when I was a pirate."

The pair of crewmates glanced at each other once, although it was the captain that recovered first. Ichigo exhaled to relieve the tension welling up in his chest, wearing an expression of mingled surprise and curiosity.

"Sheesh… You hardly seem like the type." He replied, not able to think of anything else to say.

"I don't mean to be rude, but he actually does bring up a good point." Rukia scratched her chin thoughtfully, her curiosity having been piqued by this revelation.

"I would be happy to tell my story to a pair of aspiring young rookies." She ushered them back to the couch, causing her guests to sweat-drop nervously. Unohana noticed this gesture and smiled again. "Don't be so uptight… If I had intended to do something violent, you wouldn't even be here right now."

Although she had said it in a joking tone and a tranquil smile, Ichigo and Rukia felt a sense of dread wash over themselves. They began to wonder if what she had said was true, although their renewed interest in the older woman's story made them feel much less apprehensive. Once the three had settled down again, their host offered them more refreshments, but they refused in favor of continuing the conversation.

"So, what kind of a pirate were you back in the day?" Ichigo questioned with genuine curiosity.

"Hmmm… well that's a long story." Unohana paused for a moment as if trapped in thought. "I can honestly say that I was a different person than the woman you see now. Back then I was young and foolish, wanting nothing more than a chance to test my skills, no matter what the cost. Looking back, it truly does feel like a past life, one that I left behind."

The older woman busied herself with the tray, lifting the fancy teapot and pouring each of them a cup of tea. After adding a single lump of sugar into her own drink, she poured a tiny portion of milk and stirred it with the spoon. Unohana took a long sip from her cup and encouraged her guests to do the same. Once they all had savored some of the tea, she set hers down and folded her hands in her lap.

She nodded once before speaking again. "My story begins over twenty-six years ago, before the Great Age of Piracy began. This was the time when my crewmates I sailed the Grand Line."

"You look kind of young to have been a pirate that long ago." The orange-haired captain snorted.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually much older than I appear." Unohana corrected him with an eerily polite smile, her unusually cheerful expression causing him great discomfort. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"N-No! Of course not!" Ichigo waved his hands in front of him in an uncharacteristic manner, earning a look of amusement from his partner.

Rukia found it highly interesting that a woman could control her unruly captain without even raising her voice. Realizing that they had gotten of track, she decided to speak up. "So you were a pirate before the Great Age of Piracy even began. It sounds like you were around in the days of Gold Roger. By chance, did you ever see the Pirate King in person?"

"It's funny you would mention that man's name in front of me." Her guests were intrigued that she would refer to him with such familiarity, but the older woman simply took another sip of tea and savored the flavor before answering. "The truth is, I knew him rather well."

"Really, and how is that possible?" Ichigo looked at her disbelievingly.

"You tend to become acquainted with a pirate crew when you're the ship's doctor. It's was quite an interesting experience being the only woman on his crew, but that's a story for another day."

The orange-haired pirate almost fell out of his seat, only to be grabbed by his subordinate before hitting the floor. "What!" he shouted, looking even more uncomfortable then when she had been staring him down earlier. "You can't be serious!"

Rukia jabbed him again to remind him of his manners, although she too had a hard time believing it. "Forgive him if he offended you, but the details of your story do concern me. From what we heard, the government supposedly hunted down and killed everyone that was associated with the Pirate King after he was captured by the Marines, and…"

"What most people know about this matter is little more than propaganda spread by the World Government." Unohana explained with a neutral expression, her face displaying small signs of discomfort for the first time since their arrival.

"For all we know, you might be making up a bunch of tall tales about stuff you don't even know about." Ichigo crumpled back against the sofa with a disbelieving look. "Assuming we believe you, then why not tell us what really happened?"

"You needn't be so impatient, as I was just getting to that." The older woman took a deep breath, slowly bringing to the surface all of the memories she had tried to forget. "The Marines never could have captured a man like Roger in a million years. He was far too wild and free to be held down by anyone, and we all understood this. The truth is that he turned himself in…"

"Really, but what would he have to gain by doing that?" Rukia asked incredulously.

Unohana set her cup down and closed her eyes, falling into deep thought. "There are several things about that man that I could never understand. Regardless, the circumstances surrounding his execution were much more complicated than most people know."

The orange-haired pirate leaned forward slightly, despite his lax demeanor. "So, then what?"

"We traveled the seas for several years, but our captain eventually contracted a fatal disease that even I couldn't cure." A shadow of regret passed over her face as these words escaped her, although she remained undaunted. "Left with no other choice, the crew sought help from a renowned doctor named Crocus. Together we devised a treatment to prolong Roger's death, and it was during this time that we made our last journey into the Grand Line."

Ichigo shook his head. "So, what happened to the rest of you guys after your boss became the King of the Pirates?"

"I only wish I knew. What I do know is that the rest of us were happy to see him standing atop the world as the Pirate King. Shortly after that, the captain turned himself into the Marines and was executed knowing that his life would end soon. The others disappeared, although I have heard the occasional stories and rumors about them."

Rukia quietly analyzed the situation to herself. "I see… So how did you manage to avoid the Marines and come to live peacefully on this island?"

Unohana exhaled deeply, the display of weariness reflecting her true age. "I could hold my own against any opponent, but my main duty was tending to the sick and injured. Regretfully so, my only failure in this regard resulted in the death of the captain. The government never placed a formal bounty on my head, so I was able to slip away once the they began hunting us down."

"Why would you end up here of all places?" Ichigo glanced out the window.

"I stayed behind to help a dear friend." Their host explained with a glimmer of sadness. "It was one of the captain's favorite places to visit, and as such we frequented the island when not sailing the Grand Line. During this time Roger met a woman of whom he developed a deep affection, and I remained here as her nurse?"

The raven-haired pirate had become engrossed in the tale. "So what happened to her then?"

At this, the older woman became somber and shook her head. "Years ago I vowed never to reveal the details of her situation."

"So, you've been here ever since?" Ichigo interjected, his usual expression returning.

"That would be correct." Unohana answered with a small nod. "When I was young, my dream in life was to see the world, but eventually I decided to live the rest of my life in peace and chose to remain here. I abandoned my former life and worked as a doctor for several more years, taking on Orihime as an apprentice. After buying this property with my savings, we began renting out the docks to earn some extra money, and my life has continued this way ever since."

A silence fell over the room as her guests took in the information she had given them, although they were unsure whether or not to believe everything they had heard. At the same time they had little reason to doubt her sincerity, mostly because nothing she said could have been constituted as a good thing, and could never have benefited her in any way due to the government's desire to eliminate anyone associated with the Pirate King. However something was still bothering them about the story in general.

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow in her direction. "I just have one more question about this?"

"You may ask…" Unohana answered with a rather comforting expression.

"Why did you bother explaining this story to us if it's such a big secret? It makes no sense!"

The older woman looked on with a sense of deep nostalgia hidden behind her eyes. "If you want the truth, it's actually quite simple." She paused for a moment before smiling at her guests. "While talking to you about what it is to be a pirate, it reminded me of many things that Roger once said to us all those years ago… It inspired me to tell you my story."

The group fell silent again as they took in her explanation, resulting in a confused expression from Rukia. In comparison to his first mate, the orange-haired captain looked somewhat interested by this revelation, although his reaction did not go beyond this. After a moment, his face became inscrutable again and he relaxed his shoulders.

"Before we leave, do you mind directing us to someone who can help fix the ship?" he remarked.

Unohana nodded once before scribbling something down on a paper, giving the small slip to his first mate. "I have a pair of friends that live nearby in the village that may be able to help you out. The address on that paper should get you where you want to go."

Rukia raised an eyebrow apprehensively "Do they serve pirates?"

"No serious player in the business of building ships would turn down business, especially not these two." She replied with a resolute nod. "If they're hesitant about taking the job, just tell them I sent you, and we can work things out from there."

"Yeah, okay…" Ichigo's expression darkened as he remember the affect the older woman's expression could have on other people, although the thought still made him shudder slightly.

"Thank you very much for everything…" Rukia inclined her head respectfully before joining her captain by the door. She stepped over the threshold, but her friend paused rather than follow.

The orange-haired pirate did not look directly at their host. "It was an interesting story…" he began hesitantly, his tone calm and even. "No matter where they ended up, I hope you see the rest of your crew again someday."

With these parting words, the two pirates closed the door behind them and were gone. Although she didn't know what to make of his parting words, the black-haired woman realized that her guests had awakened a side of her that she had thought would never surface again. Although they were still naive rookies, Unohana Retsu found herself hoping that the future of the seas would eventually come to rest in the hands of such exceptional children.

After a minute or so, she shook her head of these thoughts and gathered up the dishes, placing them back on the tray so that she could wash them later on. As she wiped down the coffee table with a rag, a sense of normalcy began to return, but the sound of the door opening behind her quickly diverted her attention. Her assistant stuck her head out hesitantly, but the older woman's welcoming smile made her feel more at ease.

"Unohana-san… I don't mean to intrude, but I heard everything you said to those two pirates." Orihime began nervously. "Why did you tell them so much about your life?"

Retsu smiled warmly at her young apprentice. "Much like a flower sitting in a pot, those two embody the seeds that will one day blossom into a beautiful garden."

Note to Readers: Well this might have been controversial, but I wanted to use Unohana to connect to the One Piece story a little bit. Sorry if this wasn't great, but I figured she wouldn't be playing much of a role in this story in any case so I used her character for this role. Any One Piece fan should be able to fill in the blanks in Unohana's story…

Orihime will also play a larger role than is seen in this chapter, but I figured now would be a good time to at least introduce her into the story. As you probably would have guessed, Tosen is a Marine in this world. Not really much of a surprise, am I right? These are the first appearances of major Bleach characters in this story aside from Ichigo and his friends, and you'll see more as time goes on.

Sorry for any spelling and grammar errors or typos, but I tend to write this story late at night and you should understand why I would miss these types of things. Please review if you get the chance, or drop me a few words if you liked the story just to let me know. This is also the type of story where I would welcome reader ideas, so if you have any please submit them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Small Town Folly**

Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own the rights to Bleach or One Piece. This story is made solely for fun, not profit.

The next morning, the trio of pirates found themselves sitting down to breakfast while planning out the day. Due to the painstakingly small size of the main cabin, Ichigo sat on the small rickety chair that was normally positioned by the desk while his first mate sat used the storage chest as a seat. Chad being the largest of the crew used the bed in the corner of the room as his chair during mealtimes. Despite the lackluster accommodations in which they lived, they were relatively comfortable and rarely complained.

Looking at the contents of their breakfast, it consisted of three mugs of grog, a basket of rock hard bread rolls, and a chunk of heavily salted dry meat that was barely edible to humans. Living off of low-quality rations was something they had grown tired of doing in the last few weeks, although since they lacked the foresight to pack enough food, and none of them were any good at cooking, they really didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Ichigo wore a sour expression as he set his cup down. "Damn it, we've been sailing for weeks now. I'm sick of eating this same crap for every meal!"

"You might figure that Patros guy would've had something better on board his ship for us to steal." Chad replied in his deep emotionless drawl.

"Yeah, and come to find out all he had was the same stuff we did." Added his captain.

Rukia inhaled deeply before entering the conversation. "Look, we just arrived at port last night. I say we should pick up some groceries while we're in town before we do anything else, this way we can have a good mix of foods in our diets. We need to start by getting our hands on some fruits and vegetables, and then going on from there."

Her self-proclaimed superior placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair so that it was balancing on two legs. "Why bother buying stuff like that… I say we break out some cash and head to a restaurant so we can eat something good for a change."

"We shouldn't spend any money unless it's absolutely necessary." She countered his statement.

"In case you forgot, we still have several million berries lying around in the cargo hold just waiting to be spent. I don't see a problem with rewarding ourselves once and a while." The orange-haired pirate argued back.

His first mate frowned at her leader's lack of foresight. "Listen Ichigo… It's best to be frugal at times like this. We don't know how long this journey will be, and what kind of expenses might pop up. There's also the matter of the ship itself."

The captain blinked once as he recalled the details of their adventure. "Oh yeah, that bastard's flunkies punched holes in the side of this leaky crate."

"That being said, you're lucky this old fishing boat held together as long as it did." Sado added.

"Precisely what I was saying…" Rukia nodded affirmatively, her stubborn expression remaining in place. "The point is that we need to go into town today and see how much it's going to cost us to have our boat repaired. This is without a doubt, our number one priority."

"All right, all right… You made your point." Ichigo waved off her comment.

The trio settled down again and continued to finish what little was left of their meager feast. Chad took a small bite of the dried meat, biting down hard in an attempt to get a good piece to rip off a piece of the tough jerky. After struggling for a few seconds, he managed to succeed, although his captain was far less lucky. After almost breaking his teeth on another hard roll, Ichigo found himself dipping his food into his beer just to soften it up.

After a moment or two of waiting, he forced the bread into his mouth and swallowed it with an irritated expression. "I still say we should ditch this disaster and pick up some real food before we go." He paused for a moment. "We should also get a fridge too."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Rukia piped up, looking surprisingly agreeable.

"You two said you were going to look for someone to fix the ship." The largest member of their group interjected with his blank expression. "What if I search for a shop that sells appliances in the meantime so that we can finish both jobs and head back out to sea?"

"Good thinking, Chad!" Ichigo agreed. His brown eyes shifted towards the smallest member of the group, who immediately returned his stare. "I don't suppose you have any objections?"

Rukia shook her head and smiled brightly. "Nope, not a thing…" Her gaze became very focused and businesslike suddenly. Reaching into his pocket, she shoved a piece of paper into Chad's hands, placing a pen into his opposite hand. "Take this and make sure you get everything on it."

The dark-skinned man blinked twice before realizing what she was talking about. "You want me to do the grocery shopping too?" his voice betrayed signs of mild bewilderment.

"Since you seem to be so keen on taking care of the grunt work today, you can also pick up everything else while you're out today." She explained to him like a parent tending a child. "While you two idiots were goofing off, I drew up a list of food and some extra supplies we might need for the journey. If you agree to run my errands, I expect you to get everything without exception."

"All right… Not a problem." The much larger pirate sweat-dropped before nodding compliantly, stowing away the paper and pen. "You could try and take it easy for a change."

Rukia slammed down her tiny fist onto the table, causing her crewmates to look up. "We have to be prepared for anything, and it's always a good idea to keep your eyes on the prize."

The orange-haired captain considered this notion before speaking up again. "Speaking of which, we should probably stop down town and get the boat fixed too. It looks like we got our work cut out for us today, so I say we start by heading downtown to find someone to fix the ship. Once that's over, we can dot he rest of the errands."

"Hmmm… I'm almost impressed to see that you're taking priority into account for a change." She smiled with a teasing expression. "I have to say it's pretty unusual for a hot-headed fool like you to do any thinking whatsoever."

"Keep pushing me and we'll see what happens." Despite his threat, the crew's so-called leader returned to staring at the ceiling of the small cabin and twiddled his thumbs. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to stick around here for another hour and get some sleep."

The two other pirates glanced at each other as their captain closed his eyes. "Looks like you spoke too soon." Chad commented with a blank expression.

"He never changes…" she muttered in agreement, her left eye twitching slightly.

Rukia sat still for a moment before grabbing her captain by the ear and dragging his much taller frame across the floor and towards the exit. "What the Hell!" he stammered in outrage before his struggling caused her to release him. "What was that for?"

She stepped out into the cool morning breeze, taking in the beautiful island view before reaching down to help her leader. "Stay focused Ichigo, we don't have time for rest right now."

Their leader prepared to argue back, but a quick glance at the heavily damaged ship told him otherwise. The railings were broken in several places, and several of the makeshift repairs that Chad had made at this point were beginning to leak below deck. Ichigo had found this out earlier that morning when he went below deck to fetch some money. After considering the mess they were in, he decided to let her abrasiveness drop.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The captain muttered, gently rubbing the back of his head to ease the small lump that had begun to form.

Looking satisfied with his response, the raven-haired pirate glanced over her shoulder at the third member of their party. "Hey Sado, you've been cooped up here since we dropped anchor. Wanna come along and help out today?"

The dark-skinned man hesitated for a moment. "Not that I don't want to go, but shouldn't one of us stay behind on the boat and guard the treasure?"

Rukia appreciated his common sense in comparison to the captain's lack of it. "Relax Chad, we took down the Jolly Roger and no one even knows who we are. Plus the local dock workers keep watch over the ships to make sure no one steals the cargo."

"Yeah, plus you're probably just as sick of hanging around this dump as we are." Ichigo added.

"I still think it would be a good idea if someone stayed behind to…"

"Don't forget that I'm the captain." His friend replied with a slightly less grumpy expression. "I could make it an order if you keep giving us a hard time about this."

The large man nodded and retrieved the money sack while his two crewmates gathered up some money and prepared to head out. Rukia slung an empty sack over her shoulder to hold their purchases while Ichigo retrieved a bag of gold from the cabin to use as payment. As they stepped towards the side of the boat, Chad snuck up behind them and grabbed both bags, choosing to relieve them of the load, seeing how he was physically the largest and strongest of his crew and could easily take care of the grunt work.

"That's all right, you don't need to do that." Rukia tapped his elbow with a friendly smile.

Sado glanced down at her. "It's really no problem at all. You guys can handle the business while I take care of the labor."

They both looked up to see that their captain was already standing on the dock on the side of the ship. He waved up to them before calling out. "Hey, what are you two waiting for? Get your butts down here before I leave without you?"

The raven-haired first mate exchanged looks with Chad before hopping onto edge of the boat, shifting her body into a sitting position. After a brief pause, she slid forward off the surface and landed gracefully beside her captain. After timing his own jump, the large man pressed his hands against the railing and pushed himself into the air, his weight causing the dock to shake slightly as his much larger form came down with a loud thump.

Yasutora Sado drew himself up to his full height, easily towering over his two friends and most of the dockworkers. He caught sight of their crew's lone female who had already begun her trek towards town. "Looks like she's in a hurry." He observed her rigid businesslike stance.

"Yeah, what else is new? If it isn't about saving cash, it's about doing business." Ichigo slapped his larger friend on the back in a brotherly way. "Nice landing, by the way."

The helmsman nodded again before proceeding. "I suggest we both catch up with Rukia before we get separated. Let's go…"

The trio of pirates headed into town with Rukia standing at the lead holding a map of the island she had purchased from one of the men working the boating yard. Although it was a bit dated, she instantly recognized several of the landmarks, using the town lighthouse and the surrounding cove as a reference point. The dirt path from the harbor led onto a quaintly built cobblestone road, which quickly diverted into the actual town.

Upon entering the main settlement, they were greeted by the site of a bustling marketplace. A series of white houses lined the roads, most with orange tiles roods, giving the place a peaceful and quiet feel to it. Looking up, they couldn't help but notice a small weathervane protruding from one of the buildings, and the sound of a school bell in the distance. Several signs indicated shops, taverns, and restaurants of all different types, although the streets were also filled with crowds of people.

Many men, woman, and children were wandering around going about their daily lives, several of whom were carrying armfuls of fresh food and other products that were probably purchases from the surrounding stores. The townspeople seemed relaxed and familiar as if they had been doing this their entire lives, although Ichigo and the others were rather surprised by the peaceful vibes in comparison to their own home.

The orange-haired captain glanced around again and took a deep breath, quietly taking in his surroundings once more. "It's different… Isn't it?" he said to no one in particular.

Chad looked over at him with a flat expression. "Something wrong, Ichigo?"

"Nah, and I was just looking around this place, and it made me just think about what things were like back home." He paused with a frown. "Everyone always seemed on edge on our island with all the crap that went on everyday, but the people here seem like they're in a good mood."

"You can't expect every town to be the same…" the larger man responded with a curt nod.

Rukia stopped in her tracks before addressing the others. "He's absolutely right, you know?"

"Well obviously! I was just saying that it feels weird being in a place like this. Our home was never peaceful with all those criminals running around."

"The three of us wouldn't have gotten so much practice fighting if we hadn't spent half our lives protecting the townspeople from harm." Sado added with an empty shrug.

Rukia looked on with a nostalgic expression. "Our island was constantly ravaged by pirates and corrupted Marines passing by to collect protection money from the local bandits. Not exactly the kind of place where you want to raise kids."

"Yeah, I get it already." Ichigo replied grumpily, gently placing a hand over his face before running a hand through his hair in annoyance. Exhaling deeply, the orange-haired man remembered something that the shipyard manager had told them the previous day. "You know… I was also thinking that this island isn't exactly what I would have expected for a place that the Pirate King used to visit on a regular basis."

She didn't even bother looking back at him this time. "Even the most legendary figures in the world need somewhere to rest every once and a while, and this is actually a really nice island."

The captain spat on the ground as they walked, his striking gaze shifting towards the sky in boredom. "Speaking of which, where are you leading us anyhow?"

"I'm simply following the signs posted around this place. The dock workers back at he harbor told me that the people Unohana recommended had a shop close to the center of town. Like I said before, we need to focus on repairing our ship's damage before heading back out to sea."

With nothing left to complain about, the orange-haired pirate shut his mouth and followed wordlessly after his first mate. They continued onwards for several minutes with each of them keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Not only were they looking for the boating shop, but the trio was also keen to avoid any possible signs of trouble.

Ichigo was a brave man to the point where some would call him a fool, but he wasn't the type to start a fight unless he had an objective that warranted the violence. Stealing treasure from other pirates, protecting other people, and dealing with Marines were some good examples of situations when he wouldn't hesitate to lash out. However the ill-tempered captain wasn't known for attacking bystanders or accepting pointless fights that resulted from petty disagreements.

"Hey you guys, wait up!" a fourth voice rang out through the crowds of bystanders.

Although they didn't think the call was for them at first, the voice called again, prompting them to reassess the situation. The pirates turned around just in time to see a familiar girl with long orange hair and large breasts gently nudging her way towards them through a large group of people. Although Sado did not recognize who it was, his friends had seen her during their visit to the dock rental office the previous afternoon.

Ichigo looked indifferent to the newcomer's appearance, but Rukia raised a hand and smiled in a friendly manner. The girl practically skipped as she finally managed to break free from the crowd, her cheeks flushed pink with fatigue. She was also carrying what appeared to be a large wooden plaque under her left arm, and looked as though she had just ran several miles. Bending over in a defeated manner, the well-endowed girl took a moment to catch her breath before perking up again.

"Hey Inoue, did Miss Unohana send you to find us?" Rukia asked with a puzzled look.

The doctor's apprentice nodded quickly and held out the object in her hands. "We realized this morning that you forgot to take this with you to put on your boat. Without it, the local police might fine you for docking your ship illegally on private property."

"Well that's very thoughtful of you to come looking for us." The female pirate accepted the item before nudging her captain and crewmate. "Isn't that right, guys?"

Chad inclined his head in a show of gratitude. "It must have been pretty inconvenient for you to track us down. Thanks a lot for helping out."

"Yeah, I guess so…" the orange-haired captain responded blandly only to receive a light slap from his first mate, causing him to glare at the petite woman. "Something the matter with you?"

Rukia folded her arms disapprovingly. "Where are your manners? The poor girl looks like she just participated in a marathon, so the least you could do is thank her properly."

Ichigo looked down at the newcomer and shrugged with a gentler expression. "Yeah, I guess Chad was right about it being a pain to find us. Speaking of which, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble just by leaving on our ship with a note."

"It's no problem at all, Kurosaki-san." She bowed towards him respectfully, a curtain of long hair hiding the blush on her face as she righted herself.

"Here's a little something for your troubles." Ichigo reached into his pocket and forced a fistful of gold berries into the palm of her hand.

"Oh no, there's no need for that… I was coming into town to do some errands for Ms. Unohana, so it wasn't entirely inconvenient. I was also looking forward to seeing you again and I…" she covered her mouth with both hands as if ashamed of what she had said, clumsily dropping her money in the process.

Rukia picked up the coins and handed them back to her. "It was nice to see you too, Inoue."

"You too, Kuchiki-san" Orihime pocketed the profits in an attempt to distract herself from thinking too much about the scowling pirate captain. When no one said anything else about her outburst, she guessed that they hadn't read into her slip and began to back away with an embarrassed look. "Well I guess I'll get going now. Got lots of errands to run for the boss."

Remembering something important, Rukia grabbed her by the shoulder mid-step. "Wait a minute, do you have any idea how to get to the boating place Unohana mentioned?" She took out the slip of paper from the previous day and showed it to the girl.

Orihime read it for a moment before smiling again, her previous embarrassment seemingly forgotten. "You'll find this shop in the center of town."

"Well that doesn't do us much good considering we're not from around here." Ichigo replied.

"Oops, silly me forgetting that!" the long-haired girl replied with a nervous laugh, her blush returning as she heard him speak. She took a second to recover before pointing towards the nearest road. "If you head down that way and take a left and two rights down the adjacent roads, you should make it the center of town in no time!"

Rukia pocketed the paper slip after rereading the address. "All right, that sounds simple enough."

The other girl d already turned around and was beginning to walk in the opposite direction. Waving a hand over her head, Orihime smiled brightly. "Glad I could help… Hopefully I'll see you guys later!"

As Inoue walked off to attend to her master's business, the three pirates continued their journey through town. This time they followed her directions and quickly came to the street they had een searching for. As they reached the center of town, the crowds roaming the streets became larger. Once they had rounded the corner leading into a cluster of settlements, Rukia sighted a slightly larger building that she assumed was the Town Hall. The large sign posted outside of the structure told her that she was right, and a quick glance around at the large number of indoor shops made it clear that they had wandered into the village's main square.

"Hey, there's a tavern over there." Ichigo pointed over his shoulder as he caught up with his first mate. "Maybe we can stop in for a second and get a drink."

"You just had some ale back on the ship during breakfast." She responded like a parent reprimanding her child. "We'll have plenty of time for that later."

Chad nodded in agreement before catching sight of a large wooden building with several different items on display in the window and carts of food outside. He picked up the pace and leaned over the shoulders of his crewmates so they could hear him. "You guys mentioned picking up food and supplies. There's a general store right across the square we might want to check out."

The crew's lone female nodded briskly in response to the statement. "All right, Sado… Sounds like that'll be our next stop once we commission someone to fix the ship."

"Hey Rukia! Is that the place over there?" Ichigo pointed to a small building in the row of shops.

She looked up at the establishment and jogged over to reads the sign before calling back to her friends. "The sign matches the place Unohana mentioned. Looks like we're here."

The trio headed towards the door of the building and went inside, each of them taking in the surroundings. It was a large room with light blue walls and a white trim, and the vicinity was decorated with several different pieces of memorabilia from ships. Among them were an old fashioned compass, a map of the world encased in a frame on the wall, and several models of different types of boats inside of glass cases.

The orange-haired captain rubbed his finger against the surface of one of them, revealing a small layer of dust. "Sheesh, what a dump." he muttered looking less than impressed with the small establishment. "I hope these people are better at repairs than they are at cleaning."

Stepping up to the transparent counter, Rukia noticed that there were several compass-like instruments that resembled wristwatches held inside. On top of it were a series of papers that she guessed were design blue prints for ships, although she ignored the stacks of documents and unfamiliar instrument and instead rung the bell.

When no one answered after a few more rings and several minutes of waiting, Chad finally decided to speak up. "You guys think thee owners went out for lunch?"

"I don't know, maybe we should come back later." Ichigo paused for a moment before turning back towards the counter and bellowing as loudly as he could. "Yo, my friends and I came here with a job for you lazy bastards! If there's anyone here, then get your butts out here!"

Rukia cringed slightly before bouncing up and slapping her superior upside the head. "Shut up! Are you trying to make me deaf, or were you just too stupid to see me?"

The captain scowled, gently rubbing the back of his head as a glare filled his gaze. "Maybe if you were a little taller, I might not have forgotten you were standing there."

"You just had to say it!" she screamed just as loudly as he had, causing him to cover his ears.

Ichigo gave her a satisfied expression. "Sheesh you were always a whiny little hypocrite… You complain about me being too loud, but look who's yelling now?"

She leaned in with a look of disapproval. "Do you have to turn everything into a problem?" she asked calmly, turning her back to him and folding her arms.

Chad nodded in agreement. "Maybe it would be a good idea if we just left this be."

"Don't look at me… She started it." Ichigo copied her gesture and turned his back to the others.

He took a few steps towards the door, only to be stopped by the sound of a door opening on the other side of the room. "What the Hell is going on in here!" a coarse female voice rang out, immediately catching the attention of the group.

The lights flickered on, revealing an average sized woman with piercing green eyes, long messy black hair with a few bandages wrapped around the top of her head. She had a shapely figure, her right shoulder and ankles were a covered in thin scraps of white cloth, and wore a revealing red robe that showed off her ample cleavage and part of her back. She had a tattoo above her left wrist, although this was hardly as noticeable as her right arm, which had been replaced by an odd metal prosthetic.

The three pirates stared lankly at her, causing a vein to pulse near the woman's forehead. "Are you brats deaf? I just asked what you were doing here!" the rugged woman shouted, causing them to cringe slightly.

Rukia shuffled past her friends up to the woman, gently bowing her head respectfully in the older woman's presence. "You have our sincerest apologies for the intrusion… My friends and I came to your humble establishment in the hopes that we could find someone to repair our ship."

"So you're customers, eh?" the woman exhaled deeply and relaxed for a moment, but her gaze hardened as she placed a hand on her hip. "You little bastards really know how to make a racket for nothing, don't you?"

The orange-haired captain took a step towards her, his scowl deepening. "Maybe we wouldn't have had to make so much noise if you had someone watching the front desk."

Before he could even speak, the shopkeeper raised her metallic fist and planted it into the side of his face, the blow sending Ichigo flying backwards several feet. Knocked clean off his feet by the hit, he dropped the bag of gold, causing several doubloons to spill out onto the floor of the small repair shop. Chad reached out and caught his friend by the arms to prevent him from barreling into the wall, although the force of the impact had caused him to slide back several feet despite his monstrous strength. Rukia's violet eyes widened in shock, her two friends sweating as they looked up at their attacker.

"Are you nuts, lady?" Ichigo shoved Chad away and drew himself up to his full height. "Where do you get off attacking customers like that?"

"I'll smack anyone around who insults the way I do business. That oughta teach the lot of you to respect your elders!" the older woman mused with a satisfied expression before turning her back on the trio. "For your information, my employees and I were out back working on some projects when we heard you kids making a ruckus in here."

Ichigo prepared to retaliate, but Rukia stomped on his foot and stepped in front of him with a considerably calmer expression than her captain. "With all due respect, we came here to hire your team to repair our ship. We're in a bit of a hurry and are willing to pay anything within reason if you would help us as soon as possible."

"Hmmm… From that mess you left, I'd say you kids are a lot richer than you look!" The woman's dark green eyes began took in the large number of berries littering the floor of her shop before her gaze hardened once more and she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "Follow me to the back room and we'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you very much." Rukia seized her mildly injured captain by the front of his shirt and led him along like a dog on a leash with Chad taking up the rear.

The older woman kicked the door ahead of them open and turned on the lights, casually entering a small area with a similar décor to the front of the shop, although it was clearly more of a living space and showed signs of regular use. The floor was covered with a dingy green rug, and a shelf of boat-related curios covered the right wall, displaying several compasses and models. They assumed that the door on the far wall of the room was where the owner had entered. Lastly an octagonal table surrounded by cushions of the floor was positioned near the center of the room.

"All right kid, let's talk business." The storeowner snapped.

Their host plopped herself down on the cushion in front of the large display cabinet, quickly motioning for the others to do the same. Sitting close together in a cluster on one side of the table, they settled into kneeling positions and attempted to get comfortable on the small cushions while their host began pouring them drinks from a bottle of sake.

Once three shallow dishes were filled, she slid them across the table in rapid succession, each coming to a halt in front of her guests with such grace and precision that Rukia couldn't help but wonder how often she entertained customers. The shopkeeper let out a yawn and flexed her real arm in a lazy manner before addressing the others.

"It's rude to turn down someone's generosity! Go on, drink!" she ordered with a stern glare.

Her friends sucked down their cups in a few quick gulps, but Rukia decided to savor the treat and sipped hers in a much more reserved manner. Once she was done, the petite girl decided to address their host. "Pardon me, but I don't believe we received your name?"

The older woman pounded the table with her fist onto the table, causing their saucers to rattle slightly. "My name's Shiba Kukaku… and there's no need for formalities when you're in my house, get it! In any case you got my name, now tell me yours!"

"I'm Rukia Kuchiki, and these our my friends Yasutora Sado and Kurosaki Ichigo." She motioned to each of them as she said their names.

"All right, let's just get this over with!" Ichigo butt in. The shopkeeper eyed him apprehensively, but he did not back down. "The sooner we make a deal, the sooner we can get out of this dump."

Kukaku raised an eyebrow in annoyance, sending a shiver down his spine. "You got some nerve calling my business a dump, boy? It may be small, but we're the best ship builders in town and spend most of the year up to our eyeballs in work."

"Don't listen to him, he's just being an idiot, as usual." Rukia seized her captain by the face and pushed him away. "We were sent here by Unohana Retsu, the manager of the local shipyard. She said you might give us a discount if we mentioned this to the management."

"That old hag has some nerve sending me her headaches." Her face displayed a sense of mild interest, but her focus seemed to wander. "I'll give her an earful later, but I should at least thank her for sending more business my way. Things do get a little slow this time of year…"

To her surprise, the orange-haired man leaned towards their host. "Look here! We've got half a million berries in this sack, and you can keep what's on the floor as a down payment assuming your employees can get started right away."

Rukia nodded compliantly before coming up with a figure. "What do you say to that and a price of 250 thousand? That should be a generous enough offer for some repair work."

The shop owner paused in thought for a moment before closing her eyes, casually taking a long thin pipe out of her pocket and lighting it with the device in her mechanical hand. The fire flickered for a moment as it graced the surface of her pipe, gently bathing her metallic hand in an orange glow. She inhaled the fumes deeply in contemplative thought, quietly enjoying the moment before turning her attention towards her customers once again.

After a moment, she smirked proudly and confidently at the orange-haired boy. "You may be an idiot, but I respect a man with the guts to come out and demand what he wants!"

"So you'll do it, then?" Ichigo leaned forward expectantly.

"It sounds like a pretty generous offer, but I also have to send someone out to inspect the amount of damage your ship sustained. Once that is done we can determine the cost of materials to fix up your boat." Kukaku let out another push of smoke from her lips. "Just tell me where it is and we can get down to business immediately."

"Thank you for the generosity." Rukia replied with a small bow of her head. "Our vessel is a standard fishing boat docked in the bay in Space Number 22 not far from Unohana's office."

Kukaku set down her pipe in a tray on the table and stood up. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything." The pirates stood up and follower her as she exited through the back door and into the yard behind her shop.

Her crew was hard at work building what appeared to be a raft. The crew consisted of two large men rivaling Chad in terms of height, both of whom looked almost identical in appearance. They were both large muscular men with long thin mustaches and imposing frames. They wore blue scarves around their necks, and red hats each with a decorative feather protruding from the top, but their shirts were different colors with one wearing gold while the other wore white.

A third man was seen patching up the bottom of a lifeboat using some type of adhesive glue. He was closer to Rukia's height and had short messy dark hair, his face naturally betraying signs of insecurity and panic as he heard his superior returning to the yard. Sitting beside him in a lawn chair was a man somewhat taller than Ichigo but much stockier with a thick jaw and a light green bandana covering his dark chin-length hair. He was missing part of his left eyebrow, and at the moment appeared to be resting.

With her guests in toe several yards behind her, Kukaku stepped into the work area and called out to her subordinates. "Koganehiko… Shiroganehiko… Hanataro… Ganju… Front and center!" she yelled, causing the workers to look up in surprise.

The first three men scrambled forward and stood before her without so much as a word of protest. Seeing that the fourth man was still resting in his chair, the aggressive woman ignored her other employees and stomped towards him with an angry expression. She glared daggers at him with so much anger that he would have died if looks could kill. As if sensing her eyes on him, the slumbering man rolled over and stretched out his arms, his eyes fluttering open only to meet the deadly gaze of his boss.

Upon meeting her eyes, the groggy man screamed in terror and feel out of his lawn seat, landing face first on the ground. Without even waiting for him to recover, the shopkeeper kicked him I the ribs, causing him to roll over onto his back.

He smiled awkwardly before swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "Hey big sis, need something?" he greeted her with a lame expression.

"Ganju, you idiot! How many times have I warned you against sleeping on the job when we have a job to do?" She reached down and lifted him by the front of his jacket, pulling the bulky man so that they were at eye level.

Drops of sweat began forming on his brow, but he did his best to remain calm. "No worries, it won't happen again. I promise this time!"

She scowled in irritation before tossing him back onto the grass. "It better not, or next time I'll make you wish that you were never born! Do I make myself clear?"

The hulking man gulped before nodding vigorously in fear, earning a satisfied expression from his sister. Scampering around on the ground, her younger brother quickly joined the others in the small line that had formed close by. The person standing between Ganju and the twin workers looked even punier in contrast to the other men, but no one said anything as their leader stomped back over to her guests.

Kukaku let out a weary sigh before addressing her company. "Sorry about my idiot brother, but he prefers to take naps when there's work to be done."

"I take it these guys are your workers?" Ichigo made a gesture towards the opposing group.

"For lack of a better word, I suppose you could say that." She added with a look of indifference. Straightening herself up, the shop owner gestured to the group. "In any case, meet the crew… Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, Hanataro, and my idiot brother Ganju." She pointed to each of them as she said their name.

"So they'll be the ones fixing up our ship?" Rukia questioned hopefully.

"We've got some work to finish up today, and assuming _everyone_ pitches in…" she gave her brother a bone-chilling stare before continuing. "Then there's a good chance the rest of us will be ready to repair your vessel by Tuesday at latest."

Ichigo folded his arms, looking reasonably pleased with the deal. "That's three days time! We're kind of in a hurry."

The shop owner grabbed him by the ear. "First of all, I said that was the maximum amount of time it would take. Secondly, the only reason I'm going out of the way to help is because Retsu sends me a lot of business and I owe her." She released him with an angry scowl.

"Sheesh, I'm beginning to wonder how someone like you gets any business at all." The angry captain vented out loud, earning a small laugh from the owner's brother.

"Don't push your luck, kid!" she retaliated with a threatening expression.

"Hey carrot-top… You should try being with her all the time. Now that's a nightmare I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." Ganju let out an obnoxious chorus of laughter only to receive a kick in the head from his sibling.

"Yikes!" the smaller man named Hanataro took a step to the side as Ganju tumbled backwards to avoid getting crushed. Bending over the other man, he shook his head quickly. "You really shouldn't have done that."

Ganju rubbed his face in pain only to feel the imprint of his sister's sandal. "Go bug someone else, ya little weasel!"

Seeing that his sister was on the warpath, the injured man jumped to his feet and took off in the opposite direction with her on his heals screaming obscenities as she chased after him. They ran around in circles like a pair of children with Kukaku aiming occasional punches and kicks. The two larger men had long grown used to this type of thing happened and took it as their cue to return to return to their respective tasks. The three pirates sweat dropped as they watched the humorous chase, but were surprised when the smallest employee approached them.

"I really am sorry about that. Believe it or not, this happens quite often." He rubbed the back of head with a slightly embarrassed expression. "I really hope you haven't reconsidered hiring us for this job. Although you might not think so, we really do some good work here."

Ichigo ignored the antics of the others and instead addressed the smallest member of the crew. "So who are you, and what's a shrimp like you doing in the ship building business?"

The boy bowed his head respectfully. "My name is Yamada Hanataro… Ganju's one of my best friends and I'm trying to raise money for medical school by performing small repair jobs for his sister's business."

"Good to meet you." Rukia shook his hand, although she thought it was funny to meet a man not much taller than herself. Shifting gears, she quickly went down to business. "All right, so does your boss want us to come back tomorrow or should we just wait for you at the dock?"

Hanataro considered her for a moment before turning back towards the chaos going on behind them. "Miss Kukaku!" he called out loudly, causing her to stop mid-chase. "Our customers have some questions about the arrangements."

The store owner gave her younger brother one final kick in the pants before saunter back over to her new clients. "So you folks still got some questions? Go ahead and spit em' out."

"Should we come back to tomorrow or just wait at the dock?" she repeated.

Kukaku took a moment to snap her mechanical arm back into place with her real hand before answering. "Since you guys already told me where the boat is, I'll send someone down to Unohana's place tomorrow afternoon to assess the damages to your craft. If the rest of us can't make it, then we'll pass the message along with whomever I send."

"All right… guess that means we're done here." Ichigo turned around and began walking towards the boundary of the property.

His first mate wanted to berate him for his lack of manners, but instead chose to follow him. Turning one last time, she bowed respectfully. "You have our gratitude!"

"Goodbye…" Chad muttered, gently waving his hand in the air before he too joined the others.

The trio cut through the alleyway on the side of the building instead of heading through the shop, quickly returning them to the town square. This left the workers to their jobs, and slowly but surely the scene went back to normal. Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko began to place a sail onto the raft they were building, and Hanataro dropped to his knees and began smoothing away the splinters with a piece of sharkskin that they had obtained during a recent fishing trip.

Once their footsteps died away, Ganju pried himself off of the ground and shuffled over to his sister, looking very much indifferent to the bruises she had given him in the last few minutes.

"Those guys didn't look rich, yet you saw that giant sack of money they were carrying."

Kukaku rested on hand on her hip, her expression becoming unreadable. "Yeah… What of it?"

"I was just thinking, and you don't suppose those dudes were pirates, do you?"

"So what if they are? I know you had some issues since brother died, but we're in this business to make money and it wouldn't be the first time we've done business with pirates." She frowned and shook her head before heading back towards the shop. "Just get back to work…"

A Few Hours Later…

Ichigo sat across a table from his crewmates as they each enjoyed a tankard of the town's ale. After leaving Kukaku's shop, they did some shopping for some groceries and other basic supplies, which had exhausted only a minimal amount of their profits from the last heist. After returning all of their purchases to the ship, the trio had returned to the Town Square for some well-deserved relaxation at the local bar.

It was a small tavern, but the place was crowded and people were so wrapped up in their conversations that they didn't need to worry about being overly cautious for a change. There were several lanterns on the wall providing light to the room, and several men crowded around a large table in the other side of the room, singing a chorus of a random song that none of Ichigo's crew had ever heard before. There were also some shady-looking men playing poker too, but they weren't really interested in gambling away their plunder.

Raising his glass into the air, the orange-haired captain gulped down another mouthful of ale "So what do you guys think? A lot better than the stuff from back home?"

The larger man sitting across from him took a long sip before giving his friend a thumbs-up sign, believing this to be a sufficient answer. He turned to the sole female of their group and addressed her instead. "So what do you think?"

"Not bad, although I still prefer the beer made where we grew up." Rukia took another sip and smiled mischievously at her captain. "I'm surprised you care so much about it, considering you're such a lightweight when it comes time to heavy drinking."

"Why don't you try looking in the mirror once and a while." He shrugged off her insult by tossing it back, looking satisfied as he finished draining his glass with a loud slurping noise. "I still think they make some pretty good booze. What do you guys say we buy a keg to take back to the ship?"

The petite girl shook her head. "We already have enough on board in those barrels we stole from Patros, and I don't think it's worth the amount of money, especially considering the amount of cash that this place charges per volume."

Ichigo set down his glass. "Why not, we're loaded so we might a well enjoy it while it lasts?"

"If we continue to spend money needlessly, it won't last very long at all." Rukia commented with a sour expression. "There's also the matter of buying a refrigerator so that we don't have to live off of hard rolls and dried rations for the entirety of our journey. Just because the shop in town doesn't have any in stock right now, doesn't mean we shouldn't waste the money we were going to use."

"Since we don't have a fridge, maybe you shouldn't have bought all those oranges and lemons."

She shook her head disapprovingly. "Having some fresh fruits around is essential, unless you would rather end up with scurvy due to a lack of Vitamin C."

He considered her claims for a moment, causing the image of a sailor he once saw to come into his mind. During a trip to the doctor's office years ago, Ichigo remembered seeing a man who was stricken with the disease, his face had been pale and covered in spots, and his gums were spongy and enflamed. Quickly shaking the image from is mind, the pirate captain sat back in his seat and allowed her to win this argument.

Rukia noticed his silence and acknowledged her victory. "See, unlike some people I actually take everything into consideration before tossing my money down the drain."

The orange-haired captain prepared to say something else, but the sound of a gunshot echoing throughout the pub quickly caught their attention. A man stood in the center of the bar, his face alive with malice as a wisp of smoke issued from his pistol. Three more shots fired and several men dropped dead, one of the ricocheting blasts coming inches from piercing Rukia's face. Although she appeared shaken by the near-miss, her captain was livid.

A man standing near the door tried to flee but was shot dead before he could escape. The gunmen bore down on the body of a dying man without an ounce of pity, although the look on face suggested that the man was actually enjoying himself quite a bit.

Everyone grew silent as the killer raised his weapon again. "You were so arrogant a second ago, now look at you… Go ahead and laugh at me again!" he hissed with a note of sadistic joy, his trigger finger twitching expectantly. "What's the matter? Your wits left you on the road to Hell?"

No one in the room dared to move as the killer bore down on his prey, although many people did their best to look away from the situation happening right in front of them. One man stood frozen in the doorway to the bar as if he was afraid to lose, while the two poker players from earlier had stopped in the middle of the game to watch what was going on.

Cocking his hand back, the murderous man prepared to shoot his victim through the head, but Ichigo intervened. He tossed a bottle of beer at the criminal's head, the impact changing the angle of his weapon just enough so that the shot missed. Although he barely flinched from the sudden assault, the gunmen turned to face the orange-haired pirate captain instead of finishing off his previous victim.

"Just what give you the right to take another man's life?" Ichigo stood to face the man without even an ounce of fear.

The killer turned to face his attacker and stood to his full height, revealing that he was somewhat taller than the orange-haired pirate. His spiky hair was a deep red color in comparison to Ichigo's carrot-colored hair, and considerably thicker, held away from his face by a pair of goggles, his face was alive with a sickening amusement. He wore a black, fur-lined captain's jacket over his shoulders with long sleeves and golden shoulder spikes, his sash was blue, and his tight black pants were littered with large yellow spots and ended in red frills, revealing the large black boots he wore on his feet.

"Scum like this who would spit on the dreams of others do it because they don't have the guts to go out into the world and see for themselves how things really are!" the other man replied with a sickening smile, his tongue licking a small drip of blood off of the side of his mouth. "Such pathetic people don't deserve to live."

"A real man doesn't purposely put innocent people in danger. The only person here who deserves to die is you!" Ichigo grabbed a decorative sword from the wall of the bar, causing more people to back away in fear.

His opponent lowered his weapon as if he were backing down, but unbeknownst to Ichigo, he had concealed another pistol in his sleeve. Rukia saw that his guard was down and sprung into the air, taking the shot that had been meant for her captain. She felt the bullet pierce her chest before colliding painfully with the floor, causing several men to scamper out of the way.

"You bastard…" Ichigo charged his enemy and prepared to strike, but in his rage he took a bullet to the leg.

"Not even close…" his adversary replied with an evil smile.

The enemy seized him the wrist and tossed him through the window of the bar, the impact of his body shattering the glass as he tumbled into the street. His opponent walked through the door of the tavern and advanced on the orange-haired captain, but Ichigo refused to back down after seeing one of his friends injured. Reaching down to his leg, he tore the bullet from his flesh stood back up, brandishing the makeshift sword at his enemy.

"No one raises messes with me or my friends and gets away with it!" Ichigo screamed, his anger making it easier to ignore the pain in his leg along with the several gashes that he had received from the broken glass.

"What a wuss…" His adversary spoke down to him, although the villain's vindictive bloodlust did not waver. "If there's one thing I hate more than those too weak to believe in their own dreams, it's people that are too weak to back up their threats!"

"You don't know anything about me!" Ichigo screamed, his eyes turning black and his pupils gaining a strange golden hue.

In a display of rage, he shot forward with greater speed than even he thought he was capable of and attempted to stab his sword through the heart of his enemy. This time it was the enemy's turn to be caught of guard. Needless to say he had never thought for a second that a man who had been shot in the leg was capable of such a feat. Although the sword missed his heart, Ichigo managed to stick the blade into his opponent's left shoulder, causing him to growl in pain and before nailing him in the stomach with a kick.

Ichigo's eyes returned to normal as he skidded backwards away from his enemy with surprising grace, somehow still standing on his feet. The scene froze as his enemy stood with the sword implanted in his body. Reaching up to his collar, the killer seized the end of the blade and removed it without so much as a single squeal of pain. He tossed it aside, causing the blade to clatter away across the cobblestones. Although he looked ill for a second, they glared at each other as if neither man would have liked nothing more than to see the other die that instant.

"Why don't you just go to Hell!" the orange-haired captain hissed angrily as he took a few steps towards his opponent. "When you get there, tell everyone that you were defeated by the man who'll be King of the Pirates…"

His opponent's sickening expression wavered for a moment to reveal a sense of evil amusement, and after a moment of staring each other down, he lowered his pistol and laughed. "Man, you've got some guts to say that to me. I didn't think I'd ever meet someone else with that dream…"

Ichigo's anger only deepened in response to his enemy's amusement. "What about it? Are you saying that you…"

"Where I'm going, anyone who doesn't have the guts to say it will end up dead." The man interrupted him. He put his pistol away and began walking away from the scene, his back facing Ichigo. "I'm Eustass Kid… If we ever meet again you'll know the name of the guy that's gonna kill you!"

Ichigo began running after the man's retreating form. "After what you did to my friend, I can't let you walk away from this fight! Get back here, you bastard!" he screamed only to be stopped by his much larger friend.

Yasutora Sado stood in front of his captain, cradling their second mate's delicate form in his arms. He held out an arm and shook his head solemnly before speaking. "Handle your grudge later, Ichigo… Right now we need to get Rukia to a doctor."

The orange-haired captain realized that in his anger he forgot he severity of the situation and quickly realized that this was far more important than taking revenge. Glancing at the destroyed pub, seeing the panicking citizens, and then looking at his friends brought him back to his senses. He instinctively looked for the source of all this mayhem only to find out that the murderous psychopath who started all this chaos had departed completely.

"All right…" Ichigo gently took Rukia's prone body from Chad's arms before looking back at his friend. "I know where we can take her, but we have to move fast!"

Meanwhile…

Just off the coast of Baterilla Island, a Marine Ship dropped anchor in the bay knowing full well that the island's locals had no authority to complain about their presence. While the rest of the crew prepared the smaller boats for usage, several Marines lined up on the deck. The floor rattled slightly as they heard the footsteps of their leader, each of the Marines pausing to salute as their commander emerged onto the deck.

Only the chief petty officer dared to step out of the crowd to greet their commander. He was a muscular young man, although still very small in comparison to their gigantic leader. He also had with a goatee and a Marine Cap and standard uniform, the only thing differentiating him from the ordinary Seamen being his red ascot in comparison to the standard blue one worn by everyone else. The lesser officer also had a tan and some scars below his left eye, implying that unlike the recruits he was a much more experienced Marine.

"Chief Petty Officer Hardesky reporting for duty! Lieutenant Ikkanzaka, sir!" he shouted with a militaristic salute. "The others are currently preparing our forces to head ashore and search for that crew of miscreants who defeated the Raging Bull Pirates! What are your specific orders, sir?"

A nasty expression lit Jirobo's face as he considered the situation, his fat fingers rubbing together in anticipation. "If what that scum said was true, we should be searching for a puny man with spiky orange hair and a giant blade."

"With all due respect, what do you plan on doing once we find this man?" the lesser officer asked.

"The boy stole a large sum of money from those pirates along with a Devil Fruit. Once we get assure, we will find these people, capture their ship, and claim everything on board in the name of the World Government." The gigantic lieutenant drew himself up to his full height and smashed one fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "Do whatever it takes… Search everywhere! Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the crowd of Marines roared in unison.

Note to Readers: Hope this chapter wasn't bad, although it's not my best work in terms of the fanfiction I've written over the years. You also saw the appearance of a One Piece character this chapter, the murderous Eustass Kid who wants to be pirate king but will murder anyone who laughs at him and kills on a whim once he gets in the mood. I found him particularly hard to write seeing how he's so sadistic and overly violent while also respecting those who can fight, and those who have the guts to speak their dreams.

If anyone wondered… No I decided not to portray Kid as having found and eaten his metal-based Devil Fruit yet. Ichigo on the other hand unknowingly exploited some of his own Devil Fruit powers without being aware of how it happened.

As usual, I'm Sorry for any spelling and grammar errors or typos, but I tend to write this story late at night and you should understand why I would miss these types of things. Please review if you get the chance, or drop me a few words if you liked the story just to let me know.


End file.
